


When Autumn Leaves

by Aoi_Sensei



Category: Dir en grey, the GazettE
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Astral Projection, Ghosts, Haunting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kitsune, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Murder Mystery, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Psychological Trauma, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2018-12-11 06:19:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11708601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoi_Sensei/pseuds/Aoi_Sensei
Summary: The farmhouse was old, the town was older, but day by day newer and darker mysteries arise. Reita didn't know why he let Ruki talk him into moving back out into the Kanagawa countryside. Maybe it was because he couldn't go a day without the smaller man by his side. However charming the village and its people may be, he quickly realizes that there is an evil that needs to be discovered.





	1. As Is Lifes Exhaustion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you for taking the time to read this! This story is one I've wanted to write for a very long time and I'm so excited to share it with you all! I'm sorry if it starts off a little slow but I want this to be a long and heartfelt story! So please enjoy!

Stretching his stiff limbs, Ruki straightened his back with a slight groan. There were just too many boxes pulled from the attic and the dust was burning the shit out of his eyes. His skin felt dirty from touching the long forgotten antiques and his hair was sticky from all the heavy lifting. What a pain. Why couldn’t his grandfather ever let go of anything?

 

   “Here’s the last one.” Reita announced as he descended the stairs, plopping the box down next to the dozens of others. The smaller man made no move to look in his direction, only murmuring in dismay as he took a cigarette out of his pocket.

 

   Ruki looked cute, Reita thought, with his hair pulled up in a messy bun and his glasses perched on his nose. He looked artistic, wearing a black and white stripped shirt and a black cardigan with the sleeves rolled up. Cute… but exhausted. The thick frames did nothing to hide the massive bags under his friends eyes.

 

   His slightly chapped lips set into a frown as he studied him through the exhaled smoke. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked softly. “I know this is emotionally taxing. If you want to take a break while I finish that’s fine… You look exhausted.”

 

   Ruki exhaled again, taking the stick out of his mouth to smother down his eyebrow. It felt weird not wearing makeup, but he was glad he decided not to because his face already felt like a mess and he knew he   was probably going to have a few new pimples in the morning. That thought only stressed the poor man out more.

 

   “No,” he sighed, “I’m almost done.” Ruki could feel Reita’s eyes on him as he smothered his cigarette out in the ash tray. It was his twelfth one today and he silently dared Reita to make a comment about it, but he knew deep down his best friend would never voice anything that negative to him while he was in such a fragile state.

 

   Smiling a bit, Reita bowed his head. “Okay. Okay.” He mused, his eyes twinkling at the acknowledgment of how stubborn Ruki was. Adoringly so. “Alright, in that case I’ll make a beer run and grab some dinner on my way back.” A beer, that’s exactly what Ruki was craving right now. He ran his tongue over his lips before nodding eagerly, snorting as Reita threw his leather jacket on. Dumb ass, he thought. Who brings a leather jacket to the countryside? Of course Reita would.

 

   Sucking in a strained breath as the door shut behind Reita, Ruki wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. It’s only been a day since they got here. The fridge was still dirty and bare as was the majority of the house save for the attic. It was creepy really. The fact that they assured him the house had not been touched after his grandfathers death.

 

   He had expected rotting food in the ice box and fly ridden dishes in the sink. Instead there was a thick film of dust covering everything, as if the house hadn’t been lived in for years. His grandpa was a clean freak just like him, in fact Ruki was convinced it was an inherited trait. Yet the walls were missing family portraits and the couch was moldy.

 

   As soon as they arrived here last night the first thing Ruki did was sweet up the piles of dead flies from around the windows. He felt like he was going to have a breakdown at how filthy the place was. Sipping the liquid from the glass he cleaned prior, Ruki stared out of the glazed kitchen window the best he could, making yet another mental note to scrub those too.

 

   Shuffling back into the living room, he took a moment to take everything in. The sun was setting, bathing the entire farmhouse in an amber glow. Ruki would have even thought the lighting to be romantic if the state of the room wasn’t in such disarray. Piles of empty boxes stacked to the side, three different piles of junk in the middle of it all. One for the trash, one for the thrift store, and the other filled with items he decided to keep.

 

   It was sad to him. Throughout the day he had found things that had triggered nostalgic memories. An old toy airplane of his with the propeller broken off, his grandmothers dresses, his grandfathers stamp collection… little odds and ends such as the puppy salt and pepper shakers his grandma always sat on the table and scolded him for playing with during supper.

 

   After his grandmother died his grandfather was never the same. And though Ruki would never admit it using any form of verbal communication, those thoughts caused him great pain. They were in love, all the way up to the end. He was convinced that was his grandfathers demise. That’s why he shut himself off from the world until he withered away. Love ruins everyone sooner or later.

 

   Pushing the bitter thoughts out of his mind, he squat next to the box Reita had last pulled out. “Photos.” He read the messily scribbled text before carefully cutting the top open. He was surprised at how full it was. Hundreds of old pictures filled its inside, maybe more. Astonished at the amount, Ruki carefully pulled a handful of them out, sifting through them.

 

   He smiled for the first time that day at the images of his family all smiling and laughing. Pictures of his mom when she was young… she looked so cute and innocent. It was a shame she grew up to be such a bitch. There were pictures of him and his grandpa fishing and going to shrines. A picture of him with those stupid puppy shakers… Maybe he should trash them, not sure if he wanted to keep such a happy memory in his possession. It just made him feel more resentful towards their loss.

 

   Fingers pausing at one particular image, his sad smile fell completely as he studied it closely. It was a picture of the field right outside of the house at about this time of night. There were figures in the tall grass wearing white robes and masks, carrying ancient looking lanterns. All four of the people stared directly at the house, their backs turned towards the outskirt of the neighboring forest.

 

   A chill ran up Ruki’s spine as his breath hitched. “What the fuck?” He whispered as he studied it further, unable to rip his eyes from the image. This was wrong. He had no idea why he thought this, but he knew it in his heart that this image should not exist for any reason.

 

   Usually he would laugh and think this was something silly his religious grandmother has conjured up with her friends. But this didn’t seem like it. It didn’t seem right. He could tell by the position they were and how far away from the house that the people in the picture were only about four feet, and though shortness ran in his family his grandma was still a head taller.

 

   Where they children maybe? Why was this freaking him out so much? He could hear the blood rush through his ears as warning bells were ringing violently loud in his mind. “Hey-” Ruki jumped at the sudden noise, gasping in shock as his heart palpitated. Reita paused at the sight of Ruki looking up at him with frightened eyes, small pants escaping his lips.

 

   “Are you okay?” He knelt down to his height, as he gently spoke. “Are you having an anxiety attack?” Ruki only blinked at him, trying to gain his bearings back. Sighing, Reita carefully helped him up. “Come eat. You look exhausted and I know you need a break.”

 

   “I don’t need a break you dumb fuck, you just scared me.” He murmured as he clutched onto Reita weakly. The blonde only laughed at Ruki’s endearing words, leading him out to the back patio. Sitting down, Ruki eagerly reached for a beer. Reita made no comment, only watching in dismay as he put a burger and some fries on a plate for him.

 

   “You were fast.” Ruki murmured, shoving a fry into his mouth hungrily.

 

   Tilting his head with a smile, Reita served himself his share of the food. “I was gone for thirty minutes.”

 

   “Oh, was that all?”

 

   He shrugged as he picked his burger up, biting into it with a satisfied hum. “There’s not much to this place. A post office, a gas station and the diner.”

 

   “I know.” Ruki replied with a snort, staring out into the backyard as the image flashed into his mind again. “Hey, can I show you something?”

 

   “Sure, what is it?”

 

   Slipping the photo out of his pocket he handed it to Reita who wiped off his greasy fingers before taking it into his hands. “Isn’t it weird?” He hummed around the beer bottle as he watched his friend examine it. “The people in it freak me out.”

 

   “What people?” Reita asked, squinting to examine it closer as if they were playing a game of Where’s Waldo.

 

   Scowling, he leaned over to point out where the people were. How stupid could Reita be? The spitfire paused when his eyes rest on the image. Not stupid at all, for the picture was free of all life forms only leaving a landscape view of the backyard.

 

   “Oh.” He murmured. “I guess I picked up the wrong one. Never mind.” He uttered quickly, snatching it from Reita’s fingertips. “Are you gonna finish your fries?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Reita and Ruki enjoyed the rest of their dinner in peace, laughing and joking, sharing old embarrassing childhood stories of each other. Buzzed as hell from the three beers each of them had consumed, they settled on watching a monster movie,, snuggled up on the blanket Ruki threw on the couch so they wouldn’t have to sit on the rotting fabric.

 

   Curled up against Reita’s side, he slowly looked up at him, finding his stilled movements out of character. “Aki?” He murmured. Sighing softly at the sight of the sleeping man, Ruki slowly stood as not to wake him. He covered him in the rest of the clean blanket. The other man must have been exhausted for he was out cold. A tinge of guilt bubbled inside of Ruki’s chest; he shouldn’t have let him do all of the heavy lifting today or all the driving he did cross prefecture the night before. All Reita had been doing was fussing over Ruki and doing most of the work while Ruki complained about the dirt under his nails.

 

   Feeling the day weigh on his shoulders, Ruki turned off the TV before tip-toeing upstairs. He ran through the hall into the bathroom, quickly flickering on the light with a sigh of relief. It was dark up here. Too dark for Ruki’s comfort and he still hasn't gotten new bulbs to change the burnt out hall lights.

 

   The whole house had an eerie feeling, though he couldn’t distinguish if it was just him or not. Either way he just wanted to finish up fast and go to bed. After brushing his teeth Ruki gave his face a much needed wash. He rinsed his skin quickly, a shiver running up his spine as he realized something. What if he looked back up to dry his face and there was someone standing behind him in the mirror?

 

   Cursing Reita for putting on a horror movie, Ruki tried not to tremble as he slowly looked up. Surveying the bathroom behind him through the glass he sighed in relief. “Get a hold of yourself.” He grumbled, ripping the polka-dot headband out of his hair to let the still greasy tresses fall.

 

   Ruki sped out of the bathroom, suddenly pausing. He made his way to the balcony from the stairs, peering down into the living room when he noticed flashing lights. The TV was back on but Reita was nowhere to be found.

 

   Figuring he had woken up and decided to watch more TV, Ruki descended the stairs to say goodnight. “Rei?” He peered into the dark kitchen before flipping the switch. The florescent light trembled in dismay as it flickered on. The kitchen was empty and so was the bathroom to the side.

 

   Had he gone to bed already? Ruki didn’t hear him come up the stairs and he was positive the floorboards would creek under all of that muscle milk weight. Turning the lights off quickly, trying to still his beating heart, Ruki made sure the TV was off before bolting up the stairs out of fright. Of course he was the one who had to turn off all the lights.

 

   Barreling into the room he claimed, he slammed the door shut behind him. Ruki’s chest rose and fell as he struggled to catch his breath. He was thankful he had left the bedside lamp on, trying to ignore the way the dust clung to his bare feet as he walked across the room.

 

   Positioning his sleeping bag on the worn mattress, Ruki crawled into it, taking his glasses off before he buried his face into the fabric for comfort. He felt ridiculous, like a frightened child. But really Ruki could not stand the dark at all. Peeking over the trim, he decided on keeping the dim light on before he curled up, drifting into a tiresome slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you want to support my writing please check out my social media! Twitter: aoi_sensei | Instagram: aoi__sensei


	2. No Nosy Neighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally starting to settle into their temporary home, Ruki and Reita are startled by a bizarre event. Unbeknownst to them, this is only the beginning of the horror they will soon face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are my titles and summaries too cheesy? Sorry about that! I'm just so excited to share this chapter with you guys, so please tell me what you think once you're done reading it! Thank you~!

“I had the weirdest dream last night. We were on our way to Denny’s when all of a sudden it started raining!” Reita made big obnoxious arm movements, almost knocking over the carton of orange juice with his elbow.

 

   Quickly catching it before it spilled, Ruki rolling his eyes. “What's so weird about that, Bonkura?” The blonde huffed and blushed as he shoved another spoon of cereal into his mouth, letting the spoon hang as he spoke. “The sun was out and it was raining. Then all of a sudden we were in the field in the back of the house by the forest, and people in traditional robes and masks surrounded us. The crows started circling us too, squawking. It was like the black plague or something.”

 

   “Like the…? How is that anything like the black plague?”

 

   “The masks.” Reita stated as if it were obvious.

 

   Rolled his eyes yet again as he finished his breakfast, he set his bowl in the sink after rinsing it off. “You watched too much TV last night.” He teased as he washed his hands, wiping them dry on his plaid shirt. Noticing Reita fell silent, Ruki turned around, his gut twisting peculiarly when he saw the blonde's lips firmly pressed together. It wasn't a look Reita wore often, despite how sensitive he was. “What is it?”

 

   Reita shook his head, staring at the orange liquid in his mainly empty glass. “I don't remember going to bed last night. I don't even remember finishing the movie, it's weird.” The brunet frowned. “Did you go to bed after you fell asleep on the couch?”

 

   “No- I…. I woke up in the bedroom upstairs but I don’t remember walking up there.”

 

   “Maybe you were just so exhausted that you don't even remember”

 

   “Yeah.” Reita trailed off before forcing a smile. “That's probably what it was.”

 

   “Or you had too much to drink.”

 

   Groaning, Reita flipped him off. “I had two beers. You're more of a lightweight than I am!”

 

   “Yeah right,” he smirked teasingly, “you wish.”

 

   Reita rolled his eyes as he pushed his sleeves up. “I'm going to go get a newspaper at the conbini, need anything?” Ruki shook his head, watching as Reita pulled on his jacket.

 

   “Hey! Put your dishes up!” He scolded just as the door shut behind the blonde. Sighing, Ruki grumbled as he brought Reita's dishes to the sink. “I'm not your fucking wife.”

 

* * *

 

Freedom! Sweet sweet freedom! That's how Reita felt as he managed to escape Ruki before being forced back into the kitchen to do dishes. Of course he had heard Ruki call out after him, choosing to ignore it.

 

   Ruki was great, his best friend since high school, but he was bossy and picky and a neat freak. The only reason he had come down to the countryside with him in the first place was because Ruki begged him to help sort out his late grandfather's stuff. Just sort the stuff, that was all. And now Ruki wanted him to clean? No way in hell.

 

   Reita didn't even clean his own flat. It was covered in literally everything imaginable. “Well…. Not everything.” He whispered to himself, wrapped up in his own little world. He just wasn't fond of cleaning up after himself. Even though he was…. How old was he again? He didn't care. It wasn't like he chose to suddenly be an adult. Even his own mother came to visit every other weekend with gloves and a bottle of lysol.

 

   But now that he was out of that city, he felt so much better. He felt like a new man. Like he could actually breathe the clean air and let it fill his lungs. Like he could do anything. He walked confidently down the dirt roads, shoulders wide, back straight. Maybe it was the crisp autumn air, but he felt rejuvenated. He never wanted this feeling to leave him.

 

   “Morning.” He bid politely to the elderly lady leaving the gas station, bowing slightly before slipping inside. The heater was on even though it probably wasn't needed, making him start to burn up under his leather jacket. Reita elected to ignore the sensation, he'd be back outside before too long.

 

   Walking to the back with purpose he slid open the refrigerated section, grabbing a bottle of Asahi Dry Cola before making his way to the front. It was just a normal gas station. The smell was normal as well as the assaulting glare of the florescent lighting. The obnoxious high pitched beeping the scanner made was normal, the idle chit chat of the people behind him was normal... It was all so boring and mundane, just like this town. Maybe deep inside he was really missing Tokyo.

 

   Reita thought he would have dozed off by the time the person in front of him was done checking out. On a road trip from the looks of it. Or he just had some kind of freaky Dorito and Mountain Dew obsession. Maybe he was binge playing World of Warcraft or League of Legends or whatever the newest rage was. Fucking nerds. (Of course he mentally excluded otakus since he didn’t want to loop his precious Ruki in with the lot.)

 

   Moving up and setting down his drink, Reita took the newspaper off the stand, a copy of The Gazette, waving it in front of the cashier so he knew it was a part of his purchase.

 

   “And a pack of smokes.”

 

   “What kind?”

 

   “Marlboro Lights.”

 

   He got his credit card out and ready as the guy around his age searched the cigarette rack. “Is regular okay?”

 

_Unbelievable._

 

   It's like ordering a Coke and they ask you if Pepsi was okay.

 

_No it wasn’t okay._

 

   “Yeah, that's fine.” He waved his hand in defeat, watching the pack get rung up before swiping his debit card. He almost rolled his eyes at the slow noise the receipt machine made, making the process seem so much more unbearable. Finally he was handed the proof of his purchase, and he grabbed the small bag containing his items, power walking out.

 

   The cold air on his cheeks stung slightly compared to the over heated convenience store, but it felt so much better. Reita didn't have to look to know that it caused his cheeks to look discolored. He could feel it creeping onto his skin. Also he could hear the two middle aged women murmuring in disapproval about how they thought he had just bought a skin mag.

 

   He wasn't some blushing naughty boy! Though their words did make him blush, it wasn't because he was a pervert, damn it! Why can’t people just mind their own business? Well… judging by where they lived he guessed they were probably just bored. Another reason to dislike small towns.

 

   He did his best to ignore them, waiting to round the corner before breaking open the pack of smokes. Reita placed one between his lips, cupping his hand to shield it from the breeze as he lit it. His shoulders relaxed as he took a drag before breathing the smoke out, watching it get lost in the wind.

 

* * *

 

Standing back and appreciating the now shining floors, Ruki grinned triumphantly. The upstairs floors were much dirtier than he had first thought. Thank god he had decided to buy gloves the other day, because if he had gotten any dirt under his nails-

 

   The young man shivered in disgust at the thought, already heading towards the bathroom to wash up when he heard the front door open. “Back already? That was quick.” Ruki called down, peeling the gloves off. “Don't leave the door open.”

 

   Putting the gloves somewhere to dry, annoyed that Reita didn't answer him he decided to call back down. “Rei, you're letting the cold air in!” He huffed, quickly washing his hands before stepping back out into the hall to glance over the railing.

 

   “Rei?” He asked again, descending the stairs as quietly as he could so he could listen for any noises. Heart starting to palpitate with anxiety, the brunet held his breath. The front door and the screen door were both propped wide open with a large rock.

 

   Popping his head into the kitchen, he scowled when he didn't see the lanky blonde. “What the fuck?” Ruki whispered, taking out a baseball bat from the front closet when he realized Reita wasn’t the one who came in. He jumped when he heard a noise behind him back in the place he just checked. How had they gotten in there? He swore the dining area was empty and he saw no one pass him-

 

   Carefully, he tiptoed back toward the kitchen, pausing beside the entrance to try and calm his nerves as he raised the bat with trembling hands and-

 

   “I'm back~” Reita announced as he waltzed in. Ruki watched, his jaw tensing as Reita walked past him and into the kitchen.

 

   “Rei-” He hissed lowly, trying to quietly get his attention as not to alert whoever was in the house.

 

   “I see you got the dishes done.”

 

   “Rei!”

 

   “Sorry I left before doing them.”

 

   “Akira!”

 

   Reita's head snapped up from whatever he was doing, surprised to hear his real name. “What?” By this time steam was practically coming out of Ruki's ears. How out of touch could his friend really be not to notice that something was going on? “There's an intruder.”

 

   “A what?”

 

   “ _In. Tru. Der_.”

 

   “In here?”

 

   Ruki inhaled sharply as his eyes swept around the kitchen. “I thought they were...” Gasping at the sudden noise, Ruki's body became rigid rigid with fright. Instinctively Reita pulled him close as the screen door shut with a violent slam. It banged back and forth noisily a few times from the force that was used to close it.

 

   Clutching Reita's shirt with shaking hands, the brunet looked up at him with wide frightened eyes. The bigger man peered down at him, looking just as alarmed. He wrapped his long fingers around the bat, taking it from Ruki’s small grasp.

 

   “I'll search the house.”

 

   “Don't leave me alone!”

 

   “Then come with me.”

 

   Licking his lips out of habit, Reita allowed Ruki to hook his finger into the back belt loop of his jeans before he slowly walked from room to room, inspecting each one closely. He was secretly glad Ruki came with him, because he was pretty sure he pissed his pants. What would he do if he really did find an intruder? Probably he’d just piss his pants even more.

 

   “Looks like they're gone.” He breathed a sigh of relief as he deemed the last room clear. His shoulders un-tensing as he carded his fingers through his bleached locks. Ruki also sighed as he removed his finger, taking a step away from Reita's personal space. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling cold without the comfort of Reita's body heat.

 

   Noticing this, the taller man frowned. “Come on, let's shut the door and get you warmed up.” Ruki only nodded, his breaths coming out in short pants as he followed the other downstairs, watching as he shut and locked the door.

 

   “Probably just a nosy neighbor.” Reita tried to comfort the brunet, offering a small smile. He hated seeing his friend like this. Trembling and vulnerable looking with tears in his eyes. It wasn’t fair. A man of Ruki’s stature shouldn’t be cursed with anxiety disorder, it didn’t suit him. It broke Reita’s heart every time, seeing him reduced to such a state.

 

   “Nothing was taken, nothing was broken, it was just a little scary.” Ruki snorted, still trembling slightly. “A little? Speak for yourself.” He stalked into the kitchen, plopping into the nearest chair in an obviously bad mood.

 

   Immediately Reita took out a cigarette, handing it to Ruki who took it gratefully. Lighting Ruki's before his own, he took a long drag. “So... What happened?” Shrugging, Ruki followed suit, filling his lungs in order to calm his nerves.

 

   “I heard the door open and I was upstairs, thought it was you. When I yelled at you and you didn't answer I got kind of… I don't know. Because you always answer to me when I yell at you... So I instantly thought something was wrong, you know? When I came down to investigate I found the door fucking propped open. Someone used a big ass rock to keep it open, Rei! A fucking rock!”

 

   Smoke escaped his lips as he spoke and Reita listened intently, nodding to show Ruki he had his undivided attention. “I thought that was weird when I saw it.” He admit. “I thought you were airing the house out.”

 

   “No, someone did that because they wanted to get out quickly. It wasn't a fucking nosy fucking neighbor. It was intentional. And they moved around like they've been here before! Did you hear the screen shut? It was slammed! Someone fucking removed that fucking rock and fucking slammed it.”

 

   “I know.” Reita said quickly, wanting to cut Ruki off before he worked himself up into even more of a frenzy. “I'll check with the neighbors tomorrow and see if anyone saw anything. But for now let's stay in. We can make sandwiches and we have plenty of beer. I have another kung-fu movie we can watch, okay?”

 

   Ruki bit his lip before taking another drag of his cancer stick, reluctantly nodded. Truth be told Ruki didn't want to sit through another one of Reita's shitty ass martial arts movies, but in that moment the thought was comforting. It was familiar, a little slice of home. “Okay.” He murmured, smothering the bud in the ashtray they always kept on the table. “But you have to sleep on the couch just in case they try to get in again.”

 

   Reita groaned, glaring at his best friend. “Why do you always want me to die?"


	3. Into The Wood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being the longest so far! There was more I wanted to add but it just didn't fit in the mood and spirit of this chapter! Sooo I'll just add it to chapter four! There's just so many elements to this story and I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate them all without making it overwhelming lol! Anyways, without further ado:

“In fiscal 2016, cases of psychological abuse — including situations in which children suffered verbal abuse — climbed by 14,487 to 63,187 and accounted for 51.5 percent of the total.

Physical abuse stood at 31,927 cases, comprising 26.0 percent, neglect at 25,842, or 21.1 percent, and sexual abuse at 1,622, or 1.3 percent.

The Diet revised the child welfare law and child abuse prevention law in May last year, bolstering the roles of juvenile consultation facilities. But some have voiced concerns that more administrative tasks would mean even heavier workloads for welfare workers.”

  


   Ruki stirred slightly, taking in the quiet words that leaked from the television speakers. Nuzzling closer to the heat source he slept against all night on the couch, Reita instantly wrapped an arm around him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, “did I wake you?” The brunette shook his head, far too sleepy to open his eyes. All the small man could do was whine softly when Reita chuckled and got up, leaving him to fend off the cold with his own incompetent body.

  


   He listened as Reita walked into the kitchen. The sound of water, and now the stove being ignited. He was making breakfast. ‘How sweet’ he thought to himself as a smile found its way to his lips. The house was cold, almost kissed with morning dew. The faint murmur of the news in the background didn’t help with the lazy atmosphere. God he could fall back asleep. It was tempting, calling him with a sweet siren’s song.

  


   Hearing the clinking of silverware set on plates, Ruki finally heaved himself up. He refused to leave his cocoon instead electing to bring it with him to the table. “Cold.” He whined as he plopped down. Staring at the pancakes and the boiled egg in front of him he eagerly dug in without a second thought. The food was nice and hot sliding down his throat.

  


   “What are you going to do when it’s winter?”

  


   “Die.”

  


   Reita laughed, watching the brunette lovingly. “Dramatic as usual. I thought maybe you needed more time to wake up before you got to this point.”

  


   Ruki flipped Reita off, sipping his milk. “Did I talk in my sleep last night?”

  


   “No, but you were hot as fuck. You’re a little furnace or some shit! When I tried to pry you off of me you only grunted and hung on tighter.”

  


   “Huhuhu~! That’s what you get for not calling the police.”

  


   “And tell them what? There’s nothing they could have done.”

  


   Reita’s soft voice caused Ruki to pout again. He was right. Of course he was right. If Reita thought he was in harms way he would have done something for sure. It was already kind enough of his friend for holding him while he slept.

  


   He had woken up in the middle of the night feeling eyes on him yet again. Waking up shaking with a startling scream. Reita ran up the stairs and had thrown his door open to make sure he was okay. Of course the room was empty and Ruki was left trembling in his best friend’s lap, begging for Reita to stay with him.

  


   Since sleeping upstairs freaked Ruki out too much – what if someone was up there and they couldn’t escape? - Reita carried him to the couch, made him warm milk, and had held Ruki protectively until he drifted back off to sleep. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened so there was no awkward air between them. All it was was familiarity and warmth shared between the two men as they finished their breakfast.

 

   “Go get dressed.” Reita took Ruki’s plate once he was done. “I wanted to go talk to the neighbors if you wanted to join me.”

  


   “Why?”

  


   Shrugging, Reita placed the dishes in the sink. As the previous day showed he was not fond of doing the dishes at all, But Ruki was exhausted and he wanted to help take some of the load off his friend’s shoulders. “To see what kind of people they are? To see if they saw anything yesterday, and to introduce ourselves.”

  


   “Introduce ourselves?” Came a snort in response as Ruki headed up the stairs. That wasn’t his idea of a good time. In fact he much rather not even see his neighbors. He wasn’t a friendly person, nor did he want to seem like one. That and… he didn’t want anyone he knew in his childhood to notice him. He didn’t come here to re-connect with old flames. That’s some bullshit right there.

  


   Stripping off his clothes after shutting and locking the bathroom door behind him, Ruki stepped under the hot water of the shower. His eyes threatened to close again as the chill he felt was replaced with a comforting warmth. Last night was a bitch and the soothing water was helping his tense muscles relax.

  


   When was the last time he had been plagued with nightmares? It had been years and years. He used to have them almost every night as a child, but once he moved with his mom to the city they almost completely stopped. Maybe it was because he was so busy? Joining school clubs, and sports, and of course the hellish cram school his parents forced him into; he was ready to drop the moment he walked in the door.

  


   Maybe Reita was right… Maybe he was way too stressed. He needed some sort of relief, some sort of holiday. It was disappointing to him, having to use his vacation days to come to this dump and clean. It wasn’t that he hated this place as it was very dear to him, it was just that Ruki really wanted to go to Hawaii.

  


   Rinsing the conditioner from his hair he shut off the water and stepped out with a shudder. “Fuck!” He hissed at how cold it was, quickly wrapping a towel around his small frame. “We need to get firewood.” Ruki opened the bathroom door, almost running into Reita who was ready to get in.

  


   “Oh, sorry-” The blonde smiled sheepishly. “Are you done in here?” He tried not to look at Ruki’s naked chest out of respect. Knowing just how insecure Ruki was of that specific part of his body. Even though they had seen each other naked multiple times over the years, it was just in case Ruki was feeling self conscious.

  


   “Yeah, it’s fucking cold!”

  


   He laughed as Ruki darted into his room to get changed. “Wear long sleeves!” He called back before getting in the shower himself. And Ruki did just that. After drying off properly he slipped on a worn band tee, a long snuggly cardigan, and his favorite jeans. Who gives a fuck if not many people see him today? He only dressed to impress himself. He slipped his glasses back on, pulling his hair into a ponytail. Honestly… he looked hot as fuck.

  


   Grinning and feeling rejuvenated he bounced out, opening the bathroom door to talk to Reita “I hope there’s some horny farm boys out tonight ‘cause I’m hotter than a bonfire!” He announced, grinning and shutting the door only when he heard his friend’s laughter.

 

 

* * *

 

  


The leaves were beginning to change, much to both of their pleasure. Ruki more so since Reita seemed to have brought an unnecessary amount of muscle shirts. He told him to just wear the leather jacket, to which he replied “no, I need to be nakey and free so everyone can enjoy me”. He was far too westernized….

  


   Knocking on the door of the house clearly built in the early 70’s, Reita expected their neighbor to be a friendly old couple. It was cute, it was quaint, it was weathered down and not taken care of. Slowly the faded blue door creaked open to reveal a man not much older than himself. He stood in his boxers and a grubby bath robe, rocking a five o’clock shadow. His hair was messy and ended at his shoulders. Squinting through the light he shielded his eyes. Obviously…. very hung over.

  


   “Er... Hi.”

  


   “What time is it?”

  


   Taken aback by the man’s deep ass voice, Reita checked his wrist watch. “One thirty-seven.”

 

   “Too early-” The man grumbled, apparently having just woken up. “I suppose you two want some coffee?”

  


  “No, no! That’s okay! We’re just-”

  


   Ignoring Reita, their neighbor walked back into the kitchen whilst leaving the door wide open. “Either talk louder or come in.”

  


   “Someone’s cranky.” Ruki whispered, stepping into the…. “What the fuck?”

  


   Newspapers covered every single window. Pictures of weird symbols decorated the walls, mainly in an area that seemed like his study? Office? Well whatever it was it was trashed. Papers strewn about as far as the eye could see, their contents seemed to vary from personal notes to weird animal and plant diagrams. There were so many candles, and even more jars. Jars filled with sand, jars filled with grass, filled with bones, filled with sawdust and- ew. Ruki didn’t want to know what that last one was full of.

  


   He hesitantly walked into the stranger’s kitchen, reaching for Reita’s hand in an attempt to calm himself. Everything was so overwhelming. There was too much going on in such a small space. Reita had to duck under the garland of upside-down hanging herbs that were strung across the door frame and was instantly met with the stranger shoving a mug in his face. At first he mainly focused on the dirt under the others nails before accepting the cup with caution.

  


   “I hope you like your coffee black.” He hummed much more merrily, a drastic contrast from the man they saw in the doorway only moments ago. This man… was a fucking nut case. “What’s your name?” He inquired, handing Ruki a Disney mug.

  


   “Ruki.”

  


   “Thanks for the coffee, I’m Reita.”

  


   “So you are.” He slurped his caffeine obnoxiously, not breaking eye contact with Reita. Jarring.

  


   Squirming under the intense gaze, Reita laughed awkwardly. “And who might you be?”

  


   “Oh, me? Hmmm. They call me Uruha.”

  


   “They?”

  


   “Oh, you know.... The universals.”

  


   “Right...”

  


   Uruha shamelessly popped open a mostly empty bottle of whiskey, finishing it off by pouring the rest into his coffee. “Yeah, they’re the ones that sent you here.”

  


   “What?”

  


   “You know, a good place to collect firewood is just across the back. It’s a little damp on the outside of the woods but if you go in a bit it’s dry as a bone.” He spoke to Ruki this time, his lips still around the rim of his mug as he took long sips in between words.

  


   Frowning a bit in confusion and suspicion, Ruki nodded. “That’s good to know, thank you.”

  


   “Anyways I have a customer coming soon so I need to get ready. I’ll see you two tonight.” He took the cups out of their hands abruptly with a smile.

  


   “T-Tonight?’ Ruki stuttered, stumbling as he and Reita were ushered out the door. Without an explanation it shut loudly behind them, leaving them both dazed and confused. Taking a moment to let what happened sink in, the brunette headed straight for his Grandfather’s home. He had enough for one day and he was sure Reita agreed. There’s no point in meeting the rest of his neighbors if they’re all a bunch of coots.

  


   “That was…. Interesting.” The blonde attempted lamely as he watched his friend light a much needed cigarette.

  


   “That’s a kind way to put it. That guy’s messed up.”

  


   “We don’t know that-” Ruki shot him a nasty look. “He…. Did make good coffee.”

  


   “I’m pretty sure it was instant coffee.”

 

   “What a cheap asshole. Instant coffee? Who does he think he is?” He joked, grinning stupidly when Ruki laughed. At least he got him to smile.

  


   “Shut the fuck up, bonkura.” He grinned, playfully elbowing the taller man in the ribs.

  


 

* * *

  


  


“It’s already fucking cold.”

  


   “You have every blanket in the house.” Reita sighed, gazing over his book to where he sat. And it was really true. Ruki had five different blankets wrapped around him and yet he was still shivering. Maybe he was getting sick? It was only sixteen degrees (celsius). Chilly but not to this extent. “It’ll get colder tonight. Do you want me to get firewood?”

  


   Nodding as he uncoiled himself, Ruki stretched. “I’ll come with you. It’ll be faster with the two of us.” He ran to go put on his shoes, his noseless friend snorting in amusement as he followed suit.

  


   It didn’t take them too long to get ready and before they knew it they already reach the other side of the field. Reita noticed Ruki looking around the tall grass in a bizarrely frightened manner Of course he wouldn’t understand for he saw nothing in the image Ruki had showed a few nights prior, therefore he knew not of his internal anxiousness caused by it. “You don’t have to come.” He offered softly, only met by the shake of his head.

  


   Continuing to rove into the thick, pushing away stray branches as they went, Reita soon found himself in a deeper part of the wood. The trees grew tall, nearly blocking out what little sun there was left. In the day It was all too quiet except for a crow off in the distance. He dragged his long fingers across the bark to assess the moisture level. Strange. Even though it was cold and the vegetation seemed damp from the low fog, Uruha was right; the branches and sticks were nice and dry.

  


   There was no point in breaking off limbs of a tree, especially since Reita wouldn’t like it if someone broke the limbs off of him. You gotta respect nature. The man started gathering the thickest wood he could find around his feet. There was a faint shuffle to his left as Ruki did the same.

  


   All in all the forest was nice. Though he thought it would probably be nicer when the sun was higher. The promise of fall didn’t help the atmosphere at all of course. It would probably be peaceful during the spring. Tranquil even. But instead… “This place is unsettling.” Gathering up as much as he could carry, Reita’s back popped as he stood with a groan. The sky was life fire and the landscape became darker and darker with each passing minute.

  


   It really was unsettling. Very creepy. Although Reita enjoyed his fair share of scary movies he really didn’t want to be caught in one. Air seemed to catch in his throat at the very thought of being stranded out here in the dark. “Ready to go?” He turned back in search of Ruki, freezing when he wasn’t there. But hadn’t he heard him behind him only minutes ago?

  


   “Ru?” The hair stood up on his arms as he spun around in an attempt to spot his friend through the trees. No one was around. Okay, it’s not that bad… right? Ruki probably just went home. Yeah, that’s it! He just got too cold and murmured something Reita couldn’t hear over the crunch of the leaves he stepped on as they walked in! But then…. Who was behind him two minutes prior? He didn’t hear them walk away-

  


   Blood rushing, heart pumping, there was an insidious drumming in his ears as he spun around again, desperately searching the forest. “Ruki!” He called, trying to keep his calm. His finger stung from the cold, as did his cheeks. He was dirty, tired, and most of all he was scared.

  


   Shaking his head clear of all scary thoughts, he settled on walking in the direction he assumed the house was in, unknowingly walking deeper into the woods. The sun disappeared though it wasn’t completely gone for it bathed the forest in a blue hue that was harsh against his eyes. Trees started to look like black obstacles in his path, grown and daunting as if ready to snatch him up any second now.

  


_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

  


   Was someone walking behind him? A quick look over his shoulder told him no. That must have been the sound of his own hasty footsteps.

  


_“_ _Reita!”_

  


   The cry of his name echoed in the far distance, causing the man to instantly hault. Freezing, Reita tilted his head and stropped his breathing in order to search for any more sound.

  


_Silence._

  


   Had he really heard that? It sounded like Ruki but-… _No._ Probably not. His heart was beating too fast and he was making so much noise that he couldn’t even hear himself think let alone anything else. He let out a shaky breath, only pausing again when he caught sight of something only ten meters or so in front of him.

  


   Quietly this time, he moved forward. What was it? It appeared to be a ball of fire. Blue-ish green fire suspended in mid air. The forest was pitch black now, the orb lighting up the surrounding area just enough light to see. Straining his eyes he tried to focus on the object. Just what the hell was that thing? It was absolutely… other worldly.

  


   A large hand came down onto his shoulder hard from behind, squeezing him. A gasp of fright escaped him, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest as he swirled around and came face to face with none other than Uruha himself.

  


   “Don’t stare too long.” The bigger man murmured gruffly, glancing at the orb over Reita’s shoulder. “They’re coming, we should go.”

  


   Reita allowed Uruha to grab his hand, struggling to keep up with the pace as Uruha bulldozed his way through the branches in the opposite direction Reita had gone. He held up an old oil burning lantern to light their way, which was odd but not the oddest thing to happen to Reita tonight.

  


   “Who’s coming?” He asked, dumbfounded. Uruha glanced at him with a tight look on his face.

  


   “I’ll tell you when we get inside.” He promised, his grip on his wrist was bruisingly tight and his pace quickened as he basically dragged Reita’s stumbling body out of the woods and into the field where Ruki awaited.

  


   As soon as Uruha let go, Ruki threw himself into Reita’s arms, hugging him tightly. “You fucking scared me!” His voice trembled as did his body. The blonde knew this time it wasn’t because of the cold.

  


   “I’m sorry.” He hugged him back, petting the smaller man’s hair. “What happened?”

  


   “I turned around and you were just gone. So I went home and waited for you and when you never c-came back I went and got Uruha-”

  


   “Ru, I was only gone maybe twenty minutes.” Reita bent down, noticing Ruki’s tear stained cheeks and smudged makeup. The smaller man studied his face closely. Something wasn’t right...

  


   “Akira… you were gone for three whole fucking hours.” He breathed out slowly. “I almost called the police.”

  


   “Three?” Reita furrowed his brows in confusion. He gazed up at the honey blonde who nodded in affirmation.

  


   “Come on, let’s get inside. It’s late and I know you two haven’t eaten.” Uruha gently coaxed them in the direction of his house. “I’ll cook dinner while you warm up. I think we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of WAL! If you already haven't then please hit that kudos button! It tells me that you think I'm doing a good job! Thank you ♥


	4. The Chill of Autumn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed my usual update time! I was really busy so I'm uploading this a little late! Anyways I hope you can enjoy it!

“Here you go.” Uruha handed Reita a plate of spaghetti. He pushed the pile of books off a chair for him to sit down so he could enjoy his meal. “I’m sorry about the mess, I don’t usually have guests over.” His sheepish grin was lopsided as he spoke.

  


   “It’s fine, thanks.” Reita murmured, voice still shaky. Dishing some of the food into his mouth he hummed in delight at how warm it was in comparison to his own body. His skin was frost-bitten and his blood was still just as cold as the autumn night air. He could feel the ache of the cold in his bones, like needles driving through his flesh. His throat burning with every breath he inhaled. All he had to soothe him now was the homemade meal and the feeling of Ruki’s little furnace body pressed against his as his friend clung to him.

  


   Uruha took a seat in front of him after starting a fire in the nearby hearth in an attempt to warm the room. “It’s too cold for a night like this.” He voiced what everyone was thinking as he lit some old candles around the table. “It’s a bad omen.” The other two stayed silent, watching him as they ate.

  


   “What the fuck was that thing?” The blonde finally breathed. Only now could he feel the tears he had been holding back this whole time. Everything was too confusing. Too scary. Every time he blinked the fire still danced behind his eyelids. Engraved into his pupils. It was real. Reita knew it was real. He had seen something solid that was actually existing before him physically.

  


   Ruki looked up at him, eyes still red-rimmed. “What thing?” His voice came out soft, almost like a breath of air as he studied Reita’s face again. He knew there was something wrong with Reita and it was scaring him. Reita and Uruha either didn’t hear his question or chose to ignore it for it went unanswered.

  


   “Foxfire.” Uruha stated simply.

  


   “Foxfire?’ Came his scoff.

  


   “If you stayed there for any longer you would have become pray.”

  


   “You sent us there!”

  


   “You’re right.” He admitted as he chewed on his bottom lip. “I did. It was something you needed to see, but I didn’t think you’d stay so long.” Uruha cracked open a beer, handing it to Reita who grabbed it with more force than he had meant to.

  


   “How is that possible?” The blonde asked after taking a large swig. “Being gone for that long...”

  


   “How do I explain this...” With a sigh he wiped spaghetti sauce off his shirt, having snuck a bite in between Reita’s reactions. “Those creatures have the ability to warp time in a small radius, to put it simply.”

  


   “What? I-…. Creatures?”

  


   “It was watching you. Studying you.”

  


   “What was?"

  


   “Excuse me!” Ruki interrupted. Both men stopped to give him their full attention. “What the fuck is going on? What’s this about?” He demanded as he stood, challenging Uruha who in return started picking up seemingly stray papers off the other end of the flaking tabletop.

  


   “In 1962 Fujitsu opened up a technological laboratory in the area, except it’s not actually made for the innovation of technology.” He set down a picture with a large coffee stain on it. The image was of scientists holding seemingly heavy foreign mechanical objects way ahead of it’s time. “This was taken in the fifties by someone who was in Project Blue Book. They weren’t creating anything. They were deconstructing and reconstructing alien technology.”

  


   “Aliens?” Reita rubbed the bridge of his nose, his fingers momentarily dragging across the fabric tied around his face. “What does that have to do with foxfire?”

  


   “Everything. You see, there are things that exist in this universe that have different vibrations. Aliens and the entity you encountered have the same kind of vibrations. They draw each other out, they can feel each other. That and I’m convinced they opened up a portal to another dimension somewhere in those woods.”

  


   “I need another beer.”

  


   “I know how it sounds,” Uruha’s voice was almost desperate now. “Believe me, I do. But please trust me.”

  


   “Why should we?” Ruki snapped. “You’re going on about fucking fairies and sky people!”

  


   The honey blonde chewed on his bottom lip looking as though he was conflicted over whether or not he should share this next bit of information. “I know it sounds crazy…. But please just hear me out!” Uruha begged, suddenly seeming frantic as he stood. Hands shaking and eyes wide and crazy. He tried to shove more papers into Ruki’s face, earning a sharp slap from the small man. Reita winced as Uruha’s head was propelled to the side by the sheer force of Ruki’s hand.

  


   “We’re leaving.” Ruki nearly sneered as he grabbed Reita’s arm. His friend stumbled after him, mouthing an apology to Uruha as he was dragged out of the creaking house.

  


   Slowly, Uruha touched his cheek, a single tear escaping the eye above the swollen flesh. He didn’t know how to feel, but what he didn’t expect was to feel so rejected. Heartbroken even. Reita had seen it. Reita had seen what he had been seeing for years, proving that he wasn’t crazy. Yet this validation and years of his work earned him what? A slap in the face? Nothing ever seemed to go his way.

  


   Letting out a shaky breath he gathered their dinner plates, silently taking note that both his guests plates were basically licked clean. He smiled a bit at that as he went to put them away. Fishing out his good bottle of vodka he sat down, pressing a bag of frozen corn to his cheek.

  


   “You told me no one would get hurt.” He murmured to the seemingly empty room. His eyes followed a shadow on the wall that danced slowly with the flames from the fireplace. A silhouette of a humanoid. All he got in response was an inhuman giggle bouncing off the walls of his skull.

  


   Shaking the voice out of his mind, he downed the vodka straight from the bottle, savoring the burn as it spread through his chest, serving aid from the supernatural cold. “Things are going to get worse, aren’t they?” He murmured to the being once more, more of a rhetorical question really. “Someone… is going to die.”

  


* * *

 

  


“That piece of shit! That fucking bastard! Who the fuck does he think he is? Aliens? Aliens!? He can go fuck himself right into a fucking mental institution!” Ruki sneered, slamming the door behind them. He locked it for good measure before going around to secure all the door and windows. “He’s probably the one who broke into our home!” He fumed as Reita watched him silently.

  


   All he did was retentive a beer from the fridge before cracking it open. “Ruki he didn’t do anything wrong.”

  


   “Didn’t do-” He choked on his words, inhaling sharply. “He was messing with you! Fucking with your head! That spaghetti was so good it probably has drugs in it or something!”

  


   “You watched him make it,” he snorted, “he’s just a good cook.”

  


   “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that he’s probably dangerous. Did you see the kind of stuff he had? How many pages of bullshit was everywhere? He lost it, Aki! He’s lost all sense of reality. When I went to his house to find you he was shaking a jar full of salt and bones!”

  


   “And he still rescued me.” Reita counted, watching as Ruki’s arms went limp at his sides from his animate talking. It was s sign of defeat. “Ru, he helped me then he took us in and fed us. So what if he has some obscure ideas or if he says some weird stuff? He’s done nothing to hurt us.”

  


   “I know.” The brunette murmured, wrapping his arms around Reita’s waist as he hugged him close. “I’m sorry, he just freaked me out. How am I supposed to respond to that? It was aliens?” The little man huffed again. “I don’t like him.”

  


   “I know you don’t.” Reita chuckled. “But… until he gives you a solid reason to slap him, please don’t do it again.”

  


   Chuckling he nodded, gazing up at Reita with twinkling eyes. “No promises.”

  


   Of course. Ruki was, after all, his little mischievous elf. His very own private cryptid. A punk cryptid with a belly full of fire. “You look tired.” Reita sighed as he stroked Ruki’s cheek. His eyes were still red from crying. Scooping his best friend up he listened to the giggling protests that followed.

  


   “Rei!”

  


   “What? You promised you’d sleep with me tonight.” He whined. “And after that creepy incident I’m holding you to that promise!”

  


   Ruki pouted and struggled feebly as an act, not really wanting to wiggle out of Reita’s arms. He pretended to give up with a huff and a soft punch to the muscular chest he was imprisoned against. “Fine, but I get the big fluffy blanket!”

  


   “You get the big blanket no matter what. I can’t keep your greedy little goblin hands off of it during this time of year.”

  


   The small man beamed up at him as he was gently placed on the soft bed, instantly snuggling into the blankets after kicking off his combat boots. As soon as Reita slid in beside him he curled up against the taller man’s body. “Hey Rei?” He grabbed the big blanket, wrapping it around both of them. When Reita picked him up Ruki noticed his skin was still freezing to the touch.

  


   “Hmm?

  


   “What did you see in the forest?”

  


   There was a pause as Reita stared at the ceiling in thought. A few minutes passed until he finally spoke up. “I can’t explain.” Ruki wouldn’t believe him if he told the truth. He had seen the fate dealt to Uruha and didn’t want to upset his friend further. Ruki wasn’t a mean person by any means, but he did tend to act before he could think. “It’s not important, but… I think we should stay out of there for awhile.” He turned to bury his face into Ruki’s hair. “I have a feeling it’s dangerous."


	5. The Old and the Odd

“Fuck this.” Ruki huffed, glaring as he saw his own breath. His teeth chattered as he pulled his coat closer against him in vain. Was it going to snow? Fuck that. It was too early for snowfall. But it was… _so… fucking… cold._ Then again it wasn’t even seven yet.

 

   Swinging the door open with more force than necessary, Ruki ignored the obnoxious ring as he entered the diner. He had tossed and turned all night in Reita’s arms, as soon as the first signs of light peaked through the old fashioned blinds, Ruki wiggled free and decided to get some fresh air.

 

   An oldies song played softly in the background from the jukebox as he took a seat at the counter. Amazing. This place looked almost exactly the same as it did when he was a kid. It started out as a yakuza kind of place and ended up much more western in the seventies. Memorabilia pictures of cars and motorcycles cluttered the vintage walls. Old records were hung around with care, giving it a rockabilly vibe. He likes it, he had always liked it.

 

   How many times had his grandfather taken him here as a kid? They used to come here at least three times a week. If not to eat then to get soft serve ice cream or malts. Ruki smiled a bit at the mental image of his grandpa bent over the counter with a huge smile on his face. This was his safe haven. If grandpa was really in heaven he must be in a place like this, he thought.

 

   “Good morning!” The waitress chirped as she came out of the back with a pen and pad. “What can I get you?”

 

   “Umm….” Glancing up at the menu he already knew by heart, he smiled to himself. “Pancakes with eggs and a coffee.”

 

   “Cream or sugar?”

 

   “Both please.”

 

   Nodding she wrote it down before vanishing into the back again. The diner fell silent for a minute before Beautiful Loser by Bob Seger came on. The small man felt his heart clench momentarily at the lyrics. Surely his grandfather put this song on for him. Or maybe the synchronicity he saw in this moment was all in his head and didn’t really exist at all. Either way it didn’t matter. This was nice. His eyes drifted shut, taking in the crooning message given to him. How stressed he’s been. “Thanks Gramps.” He murmured to himself, feeling his shoulders relax. Never take it all, as the lyrics go.

 

   As soon as the aromatic mug of coffee and the large plate of pancakes were set in front of him he eagerly dug in, seeking warmth from the food. The taste stung his tongue with pleasure as he chewed, washing it down with the morning bean water. The flavor of the pancakes weren’t really the same as they were when he was young but that was to be expected; they probably changed cooks at some point, but the flavor was still good. Good enough to sate the hungry man.

 

   Behind him the bell rang again as someone else entered the diner. They walked up to the counter, heavy boots sounding on the polish floors. Ruki only looked up as the person took off their hat and sat next to him. A police man from the looks of it. Glancing up he and the man locked eyes and Ruki instantly froze.

 

   “Holy smokes…” The officer laughed, a huge dimpled grin consuming his slightly weathered face. “Is it really you?”

 

   “Heh.. yeah-” Ruki replied sheepishly, quickly wiping the whipped cream from his upper lip as he smiled shyly back. “You look good, Yutaka. Big.”

 

   The smiling man finally fully faced Ruki, his long brown hair was brushed behind his ear as he studied Ruki with his dark but shining eyes. “You look so different, man! Brown hair!”

 

   “Yeah-’ He laughed again. “You’re a brunette too.”

 

   “Oh-” Yutaka blushed. “Yeah I… My husband likes it on me.” He admitted, his lashes fluttering almost shyly. “I’m glad you’re here, Takanori.” He hummed, not catching the way Ruki flinched at the name.

 

   Yutaka was one of Ruki’s many childhood friends, along with Yuu. Together they were inseparable, with each other day in and day out. Always riding bikes or playing samurai in the forest, looking for cool rocks and trying to catch frogs with their bare hands. Then Yutaka was such a small boy, even smaller that Ruki was at that age. Though in all, Yuu was the smallest out of the three. He was often sickly.

 

   Taking in his old friend’s appearance now, Ruki could see the resemblance. His smile was the same, and so was his dimples and nose. His eyes seemed older but they still lit up with a warm childish innocence. Ruki could tell he was huge! Much taller and way broader than he could have ever imagined. Not to mention he looked jacket under that tight long sleeve shirt, it left nothing to the imagination.

 

   “So you’re a cop now, huh?”

 

   “Yeah.” Yutaka hummed as he ordered a coffee for himself. “What about you? What are you up to nowadays?”

 

   “Oh, I’m a manga artist.”

 

   “No shit!”

 

   “Yeah, out in Tokyo.”

 

   Yutaka made an excited noise, clapping a hand down on Ruki’s small shoulder. “That’s cool! You always were really into that stuff.” Ruki just nodded stiffly in return, turning to finish his meal. He felt awkward and almost vulnerable, not sure what to say. “So… I guess you’re here about your grandfather, huh?”

 

   The small man nodded for the umpteenth time, covering his mouth to talk as he chewed. “I’m cleaning it up to put it on the market. My best friend came down with me, we’re probably going to be here all fall.”

 

   “I’m really sorry about your loss.” Yutaka’s eyes were downcast as he peered into his cup, his voice falling to a whisper as he spoke. “I was on call that morning and was first at the scene. It really shocked me.” He murmured. “Everyone loved him, you know. He had a good life.”

 

   “He did.” Ruki sighed, glancing over at him. “It’s okay he was really getting up there. We all die eventually.” Ruki watched as Yutaka shivered at his remarks, in pleasure or in dismay he couldn’t tell, but there was something weird in his body language. Maybe he was badly affected by the event and Ruki was bringing up past demons? Deciding to change the subject, Ruki swallowed quickly. “We uh… Met Uruha.”

 

   Yutaka tensed and fell silent for a few drawn out moments. “Did he give you any problems?”

 

   “No… yeah… sort of.” He admitted. “Why? Is he dangerous?”

 

   “No.” He sighed, sitting back, his shoulders tensed with obvious signs of stress. “No he’s just… he causes a lot of trouble. He scares people.”

 

   “I can see why. He’s into some weird shit.”

 

   “I think he has some kind of… how do I say it...” The officer paused to collect his thoughts as he took a sip. “Mental trauma, something psychological. People say he’s doing satanic rituals but I don’t believe that. I think he’s just a little troubled. He’s never hurt anyone and while he’s a weirdo he’s usually kind.”

 

   “He gave us quite the scare.” Ruki chuckled as he finished his whole meal, feeling satisfied and sleepy at last. “He was talking about aliens and saying there were dangerous mythical beasts in the woods. I don’t know what he did to Reita but he came out of those trees dazed and upset.”

 

   “Reita?”

 

   “He’s the friend I brought from Tokyo.”

 

   Yutaka nodded slowly, face serious and grim. “You think he may have done something to your friend?”

 

   “I… Maybe? I don’t know. Reita got lost and it freaked me out, I got scared and asked Uruha to help me look for him but he wouldn’t let me go in the woods with him. Fifteen minutes later he’s practically dragging Reita out. They spoke about seeing something in there that really scared Rei. He’s a tough man too, nothing scars him he’s a fucking house. But I tell you what, he was shaking in Uruha’s hold.”

 

   Listening intently, Yutaka finally stood. “That’s not okay. I’ll have a little talk with him.” He smiled softly when he saw Ruki suddenly looked worried, gently squeezing his shoulder again before taking out some cash to pay for his coffee. “It’ll be okay.” He promised. “You and Reita should come over for dinner some time! We’d love to have you over.”

 

   “You know what?” Ruki paid for his too before walking in stride with Yutaka to the door. “I’d actually like that. We can catch up.”

 

   “Yeah!” The bigger man gasped excitedly, sliding his hat back on. “Anyways duty calls, I’ll see you around.” And with a parting wave ,Yutaka headed to his patrol car. Ruki watched silently as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road before he let out a sigh. That was weird. He was hoping not to see anyone from his past, but bumping into Yutaka of all people… It was weird. He suddenly wondered where Yuu was. Yutaka didn’t mention him at all, maybe he moved out of town like Ruki had?

 

   Deciding to look into it later, Ruki turned to head home. He was starting to feel like shit, eyes drooping and body feeling heavy. Thank god he didn’t have anything important to do today, he wouldn’t have been able to function without any sleep. All he could think of right now was how amazing it would feel to climb into bed and just fall unconscious under the warm fluffy blanket he had come to possess. The nippy air only furthered his desires as he fast walked down the street, probably looking funny to the few spectators who happened to spot him.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Once home Ruki shed his jacket and boots at the door, pausing when he noticed Reita standing out on the deck. The blonde man was basically naked saved for by the grey boxers he wore. What the fuck was he doing, Ruki wondered, it’s cold as hell out there. His back was turned towards Ruki and he faced the woods. The small man watched him silently for a minute, unsettled by the lack of movement.

 

   Finally he sucked in a shaky breath as he strode across the floor to the other side of the house, pulling the sliding glass door open. He shuddered as the harsh wind hit his face, making him shake from the temperature. Something was defiantly wrong if Reita was standing out here exposed. He didn’t even move at the sound of the door opening, not even a centimeter. It was almost as if he was a statue, frozen in space and time.

 

   “Rei?” He called slowly as he stepped out. There was no answer from his friend. Was he even breathing? Walking around him cautiously, he held his breath as he finally stepped in front of the man. Ruki slowly looking up at him almost as if he were scared to see those eyes open and blank, staring into a nothingness. Then what would he do? What would he do if Reita was in a trance? What would he do if his eyes were a different color or were lifeless? Could a person die and still be standing? He didn’t know...

 

   Fortunately Reita’s eyes were closed and soft sounds came from him as he breathed slowly. The only kind of dead he was was dead asleep. Sighing in relief, Ruki shook him gently until Reita woke up. “Rei, hey.” He cooed as the blonde blinked down at him sleepily. He looked so cute… he looked so cold. He gently coaxed the bigger man inside back into the warmth.

 

   “What happened?” Reita asked, slightly disorientated, body trembling. His skin felt like ice against Ruki’s hand. He felt like a metal pole in the midst of a blizzard, deeply and utterly frozen. That wasn’t good, how long had he been out there?”

 

   “Hey.” Ruki spoke softly again, smiling small so Reita wouldn’t be alarmed. He wrapped the afghan blanket around his shoulders, kneeling to start a fire. “You were sleepwalking. I found you outside.”

 

   “I was?” Reita’s words were breathless as he curled up in an attempt to conserve body heat.

 

   Ruki said nothing. Once the fire started he went to go make Reita a hot drink to warm him up from the inside. Once the mug was placed in Reita’s hands he ran upstairs to fetch warm clothes.

 

   “How long was I out there?” He asked when Ruki returned, eagerly pulling on the pants and fleece shirt. The fabric created goosebumps on his flesh, it felt good. He instantly pulled Ruki down into his lap, curling around his tiny human heater. The brunette accepted the fate happily, rubbing Reita’s arms.

 

   “I don’t know.” He admitted. “I was gone for maybe an hour, so not more than that.”

 

   “You left?” He looked down at him in concern.

 

   “Yeah,” Ruki sighed, “I couldn’t sleep so I went down to the diner and had breakfast, bumped into someone I knew.”

 

   “Oh.” Reita rubbed at his eyes, still clearly disrought. His small friend pulled his plump bottom lip between his teeth, trying to figure out what to say.

 

  
    “Did you have a bad dream?”

 

   “No...” Reita’s jaw became slack as he trailed off, his eyes busy staring at the plain wall ahead of him. It was clear there was something, that he remembered something. “There was a man.” Reita started to say slowly, unsure if he could share his dream. Ruki placed his chin on his shoulder and he relaxed into the sign of affection. “At first I thought it was a woman. He had long raven hair and was in a fancy kimono, he wore a traditional mask of a fox. He was holding his stomach and the area around his arm started turning dark with blood. He was crying and begging for me to help him.”

 

   Ruki listened closely, his eyes falling shut as he imagined the way Reita described it. “He was out in the field so I jogged out there to help him but the more I ran the further he seemed, like the distance between us kept growing and growing until the field was the size of an ocean. Then suddenly I was in front of the forest. He was screaming on the top of his lungs now, begging for help to anyone who could hear him. He sounded like he was struggling, like someone was dragging him. He sounded so scared I-… I-...”

 

   Looking up Ruki noticed Reita’s bottom lip trembled and he nuzzled him softly. “It’s okay.” He promised. “It was just a dream.”

 

   “It seems so real...” The blonde whispered.

 

   “I know, I’m sorry.”

 

   “I followed his voice in… In the middle of the woods there’s a clearing, almost a perfect circle, I think. And in the very middle was a huge stone slab with designs on it, clearly it was some sort of alter or something… There wee torches all around, and men wearing traditional robes with masks like what that guy was wearing. That guy was on the alter thing, hands and feet tied to either side. He whimpered and struggled as they untied his kimono and stripped him naked, but they left his mask on. There was chanting mixed with his pleas. The one in charge laughed and told him to stop crying because it would all be over soon. Then he held a huge knife over the mans stomach where I saw the blood earlier, but right as he was about to stab him you woke me up.”

 

   Reita glanced down at Ruki when he didn’t respond to the rest of the story. He frowned a bit, noticing Ruki was fast asleep. The small man looked so exhausted. He didn’t blame him, really. He himself wasn’t sleeping very well, evidently. Chuckling to himself, Reita picked Ruki up and carried him to bed. He tucked him in and wrapped the fuzzy blanket around the small body before slipping out to go take a much needed hot shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaayyyy! Enter Kai! It's crazy how this is still just the beginning! Hehehe~! I'm sorry if you guys can tell from my writing that I'm really super exhausted! I've been having lots of health problems and writing and editing have been very difficult for me these past few weeks. So please tell me if you see any problems in my writing! Thanks you <3


	6. The Voice from Afar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may contain triggering material. It contains alcoholism and mentions of mental health issues.

Foreboding darkness surrounded him, cradled him with gentle but blood thirsty clutches. It was playing with its food ever so amusingly. Whispers of his name swam through the void of water only to reach muffled ears. Save... Save me. Please! Anybody! No, no, no! Help! Please help me, please! Uruha looked around, his movements slow as if he were actually sunken at the bottom of the sea.

 

   “Where are you?” He called back into the abyss, though his words never reached anywhere of physical manifestation. They were consumed, consumed by the black. The man felt sorry for whoever the voice belonged to. It was a boy from the sound of it, but the words weren’t completely whole when they reached his ears so he couldn’t really draw any specific conclusions.

 

   Uruha wanted to find the owner of the words. He wanted to reach out and comfort the one who was crying. It seemed important if they came to him in this way. If only he wasn’t trapped. Destined to curl up on the sea bed as he finally sucked its waters into his aching lungs. Slowly his mouth fell open, swallowing more as he attempted to gasp for actual air. His lungs were burning as they filled with the salty liquid, his chest was burning.

 

_Knock. Knock. Knock_

 

   Was that for him? Those new sounds… Were they dangerous or welcoming? Uruha wouldn’t process it. He didn’t even care at the moment for his nails clawed into the skin of his throat and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was dying, dying in this strange land. He was drowning in sorrow and grief and in all of the evils in this world. He was drowning because he wanted to drown. He was dying because he wanted to die.

 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

 

   Oh how tired was he of living a life in the shadows. With no one to talk to but the people on the wall and the bottle in his hand. He wanted this. He wanted to drown physically the way he did mentally every single day. He was tired, so tired, that’s all that crossed his mind as the burning turned into floating and his eyes closed against the darkness to show him a new shade of black. Finally he can be released. Finally he was dead.

 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

 

   “No. Not yet.” The universe whispered lovingly into his ear, dragging his spirit back to his body. Because that sound? That’s for him. And it was important.

 

   Gasping as his eyes flew open, Uruha coughed and sputtered, rolling onto his side to let the vomit fall from his mouth. What had happened? He wondered sleepily. He had over-drank the night before, yet again, then fell asleep on his back and almost choked to death on his own puke. “Fuck!” He wheezed, his throat feeling like a million fire ants were laying siege to it. Wiping his lips on a blanket he glanced up when he heard the continuous knocking.

 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

 

   Just like the one from his dream… He wiped his eyes, slightly disorientated as he stumbled to the door, throwing it open took tremendous effort. To his surprise he found a tall man shifting side to side out of anxiousness on his doorstep. “Hey.” The man gave him a lopsided smile that almost instantly fell once he noticed Uruha’s state. What was his name again? It was something Star Trek-esque, right? Uruha? Oh... Wait, no, that’s his own name. His mind was swimming too much and instead of saying a greeting in return, Uruha just slumped against the wall and smothered his hands against his face as a deep trembling sigh escaped his dry lips.

 

   Uruha looked pale, that was the first thing Reita noticed once he opened the door. He looked sick, ghostly even. Like the walking dead. As soon as he nearly collapsed onto the wall he rushed in, taking the bigger man into his arms without a second thought. “Hey, hey.” He whispered, trying to draw in Uruha’s attention. “Are you okay?” Dark colorless orbs gazed back at him, as if unseeing. He really wasn’t in a good state.

 

   Sighing softly Reita picked Uruha up bridal style, smiling slightly when the honey blonde buried his face in the crook of Reita’s shoulder. At least he was aware enough to know he was friend and not foe. “Ruki?” Uruha murmured and the blonde chuckled. “He’s at home.” Reita replied softly. He walked into the bedroom and froze at the sight of vomit everywhere. Shit, how sick was he?

 

   Wondering if he should get Uruha to the hospital, he ended up setting him on the couch. “What happened?” He asked slowly, wrapping a blanket around the man. His scruff had grown more since he first laid eyes on him and Uruha looked… well he looked like trash. Dry puke on his chin, slender frame slightly trembling. Was he even eating right? Reita hadn’t even noticed last night since he was so shaken up, but Uruha was far too skinny.

 

   “It’s nothing.” The honey blonde murmured, his eyes falling shut for a few moments. “I just drank too much last night.” That… was an understatement. “Can I have some water?”

 

   “Sure.” He stood, making sure Uruha was okay where he was. “Have you eaten yet?”

 

   “No, I just woke up.”

 

   “Do you need to see a doctor?”

 

   Uruha craned his head a bit, listening to Reita rummage around in his kitchen for a glass. “No. I don’t have the money.” He heard Reita hum in understanding as he came back. The bigger man tried to ignore how bad his fingers trembled, but as soon as he grasped the cup he nearly spilled its contents all over himself.

 

   Reita quickly caught the cup, gently pressing it to Uruha’s lips so he could drink. If Uruha was embarrassed he was good at hiding it. He sipped slowly, sighing happily once it slid down his burning throat. “Thanks.” He murmured to Reita who was already heading back to the kitchen.

 

   “It’s no problem, I’ll make you something to eat and then I’ll leave you to rest.”

 

   “Rest?” He rubbed his eyes. “No, no. You need to tell me what you came here for.”

 

   “It can wait.”

 

   “It can’t.” Uruha stated sharply. “It’s important.”

 

   Reita peered over the island at his form on the couch, pausing his current search for noodles. “How would you know that?”

 

   “The universe told me.”

 

   “The universe?”

 

   “She’s never wrong.” It took Uruha a lot of effort to push himself up enough to make eye contact, his expression was weak but still adamant.

 

   “Okay.” The blonde replied slowly, pouring water into a pot and then setting it on the stove. “I had a crazy dream last night where I found some kind of creepy ritual. They were cutting some guy open.”

 

   Humming, Uruha attempted to take a sip of water on his own. “Was that the first time you’ve had a dream like that?”

 

   “Yeah.” Came his sigh. “I’ve been sleepwalking a lot too… I never used to do it before I came here. I was thinking of going to a doctor but-”

 

   “A doctor can’t help you.”

 

   “Yeah, I figured.”

 

   They sat in comfortable silence as Reita continued to make the ramen. In a matter of minutes he put it in a bowl, walking back to the couch to serve it to his… was Uruha his friend? He thought about this as he handed the man his food. Uruha was a derailed train, there was no doubt about that, yet he felt a strong pull to the crazy man. He felt as if every moment of his life was just leading him to Uruha, as if they had shared many past lives together. Reita snorted at that idea. What if in a life they were rock stars? He’d play bass and he assumed Uruha would probably play guitar. Well… it wasn’t all an assumption, he did notice the green guitar hiding in the bedroom.

 

   “You look good like that.” Uruha whispered around the noodles, his face turned soft.

 

   “Like what?”

 

   “Smiling.”

 

   Blushing profusely, Reita laughed a bit. Had it really been so long since he’s smiled? It sure did feel like it. Even so, it’s true Uruha had never seen a genuine smile from the man. Plopping on the couch next to him, he sighed. “Can I ask you a question?” Uruha just shrugged. “What is it that you do? I mean-”

 

   “Why I have so many herbs and books laying around? How do I keep the roof over my head?”

 

   “I’m sorry.” The shorter replied sheepishly. Despite the disastrous state in which Uruha’s home was kept, he was even more surprised to find almost nothing in his cabinets and fridge. He only found some ramen and other pasta, and in the fridge there was only yogurt and beer. It was… concerning.

 

   Sighing as the now empty bowl was set to the side, Uruha looked up, resting the nape of his neck on the back of the couch. “I’m a witch.” He finally responded after some time of hesitation. “I make money by selling spell bottles and cleansing peoples houses. I can also talk to the dead.” The last part was said slowly, hesitantly. “Sometimes I relay messages from the dearly departed.”

 

   Uruha could feel Reita’s eyes on him, studying him. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it was expected. After all, he wasn’t very well received. Well, not by anyone in this community. All he ever did was try to help people, and in return he got spat at and was ridiculed to the extreme. That’s why he moved to the outskirts. He hated people knocking on his door only to find his house had been egged, or dog shit was on his porch. Again that familiar exhausted feeling washed over him. Gifts, that’s what the ignorant would call them. In reality they were a curse. They ruined his life, his career, and now his mental health.

 

   To his surprise, once he glanced at Reita he found the blonde gazing at him in awe. His dark eyes sparkled with wonder as his smile grew. “That’s so cool!” He gasped. “Can you read my future and shit? Oh is that an offensive thing to ask? I’m sorry just- wow! That’s amazing.” The words flew out of his mouth quickly and with the hangover banging against his skull, Uruha was hardly able to process them all.

 

   “Your future,” he chuckled, “it’s good. I can see that there will be someone who depends on you to be able to reach their dream. A lover. You will be that persons lifeline, and in return that person will make you the center of their world. You’ll recognize this and make them your whole world in return. You two will marry and spend the rest of your lives together. You will struggle in your work life for a few years but eventually you’ll find a job that makes you happy. I even see adopting children in your future.”

 

   Reita let out a shaky breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. “Children?” He whispered breathlessly. “So I’ll be happy?”

 

   “Very happy.”

 

   “What about Ruki’s future?” He inquisited.

 

   Uruha’s eyes fluttered shut once more. “I can’t see his future for some reason.” He admitted. “It’s foggy. I can see small fragments but not enough to piece anything together. Apparently I’m not allowed to know.”

 

   “Why not?”

 

   “I don’t know.” He took out a cigarette, lighting it between his lips. “I’m not allowed to see. Maybe he has an early death or something really bad happens that I’m not allowed to warn him about.”

 

   Tensing, Reita nodded slowly. Before the two could get into further detail a knock on the door interrupted both of them.

 

   “Mind getting that?” Uruha exhaled, eyes still shut.

 

   Reita instantly got up and walked towards the door, opening it slowly. Instantly he frowned when a badge was shoved into his face. “Is Uruha here?”

 

   “He is...”

 

   Without another word the officer pushed past Reita, walking into the living room as if he’d been there many times before. He stopped right in front of Uruha, hands on his hips as he sighed. “You’re a mess, Ko.”

 

   “Good to see you too, Yutaka.” The honey blonde slowly stood. He didn’t even flinch as Yutaka took the cigarette right out of his mouth, smothering it in the ash tray.

 

   “These things will kill you.”

 

   “That’s kinda the point.”

 

   Realizing there was no use in conversation with him, Yutaka got straight to his business. “Do you know why I’m here?”

 

   “I’m guessing it’s not because I’ve done nothing wrong.” He replied sassily, only causing Yutaka’s face to twist up tighter.

 

   “I’ve gotten yet another complaint of you scaring and harassing your neighbors.”

 

   Reita’s eyes widened. Scaring neighbors? Did Ruki call the police on Uruha? He met Uruha’s confused gaze with his own equally concerned one.

 

   “I didn’t harass anyone!” He argued feebly as Yutaka forcefully spun him around. Uruha swayed with the movement, nearly collapsing his legs were so weak.

 

   “This was your last strike Ko. We’ve talked about this many times but now I have no choice but to bring you in.” He cuffed Uruha’s hands behind his back, forcing his prisoner’s body to stay upright as he began to lead Uruha out of his house.

 

   “Wait!” Reita stepped in front of their path. “I’m Uruha’s neighbor, he hasn’t done anything to us!”

 

   “Step aside sir.” The cop ordered patiently. “He’ll be okay, I can let you know when I post his bail.”

 

   Reita hesitated, looking at Uruha helplessly. In return he smiled. “It’s okay. This isn’t the first time I’ve been there. I’ll let you know when I get released.”

 

   Yutaka dragged Uruha out as soon as Reita stepped aside. The blonde man trailed behind them anxiously as he watched silently.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stretching sleepily, Ruki picked up the note left behind.

 

   Went to Uruha’s be back soon -Rei

 

   Sighing, Ruki almost instantly headed for the door. What is that idiot thinking? Couldn’t he see that Uruha was a good for nothing lunatic? What if he stabbed Reita? What if he drugged him? Oh god, how long has Reita been gone? Ruki’s heart began to race as he jogged towards Uruha’s home, freezing at the sight before ho,.

 

   A police car parked out in front, lights flashing obnoxiously. Shit, was Uruha getting raided? Was it a drug bust or something? The front door sung open and sure enough there was Yutaka dragging a sickly Uruha out to the car. He sure did look like he was on drugs. His big clothes hanging loosely on his skinny frame as he stumbled around on shaky legs. He looked like he was going to pass out.

 

   Ruki’s amber eyes met with Uruha’s dark ones as they stared at each other for a fraction of a second before Uruha was shoved into the back of the vehicle. Reita came marching over, aggressively grabbing Ruki by the font of his night shirt. “What the fuck did you do?” He hissed, nearly lifting the small man off the ground.

 

   Ruki’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared up at his livid friend. “I-”

 

   “The officer said the neighbors complained of him scaring us.” He snapped. “What did you say?”

 

   “I just told him he fucking scared me, I didn’t ask for him to get arrested!” Ruki whimpered, starting to feel bad as realization dawned on him. “I thought he was on drugs or something.” He admitted. “He couldn’t even walk.”

 

   Reita’s anger dissipated almost as fast as it was brought on. He gently set Ruki down, his face twisting up. Of course Ruki didn’t ask for him to be arrested, that was something he would never do. “He’s just really sick. He threw up everywhere, I had to carry him to the couch.”

 

   “Oh.” The brunette replied quietly, taking interest in the gravel at his feet.

 

   “Why do you hate him so much?”

 

   His gaze snapped up again. “I don’t hate him!” He said quickly. “I just… The look in his eyes scare me. I know he’s bad news. I didn’t mean for this to happen, Aki, I really didn’t think this would-” He felt guilty. So guilty. Ruki was the reason Uruha was forced out of his own home on fawn legs, sick as a dog and now he was going to have to lay in a cell. All because Ruki became overwhelmed by his bullshit. The small man followed his friend back into Uruha’s house. Almost instantly he could smell the vomit, causing him to cover his nose before he dry-heaved.

 

  Peering into the bedroom, Reita was right. It wasn’t everywhere, but there was a concerning amount on the floor, more than what’s probably humanly healthy. “Shit.” He groaned, trying to ignore the pointed look Reita shot him. “Fuck. I fucked up.”

 

   “Yeah...”

 

   Shoulders drooping, Ruki looked around. “Um… I’ll clean this up.” He dug out his wallet, handing Reita his credit card. “Can you go bail him out?”

 

   “On your dime?” He asked in surprise, his fingers slowly wrapping around the plastic.

 

   Ruki nodded in affirmation. “It’s my fault he’s in there so please… Tell him I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! Please leave kudos if you haven't already, it lets me know you enjoy my story! If you already left kudos then a comment (even a short one like "cool chapter") is VERY appreciated! Thanks!


	7. True Dread

Ruki stretched his aching back, wincing at the pop that erupted from his spine as he pulled the latex gloves off his hands. Finally, Uruha’s bedroom was clean. Floor scrubbed, sheets washed, room aired out. He also scrubbed Uruha’s kitchen from top to bottom, did all of his dishes, and cleaned off Uruha’s table so he could sit down and have a proper meal.

 

   Now what to do about that empty fridge… Washing his hands of any germs, Ruki took down the bun his hair was previously set in. He had snooped around and found nothing but cobwebs in the man’s kitchen. It disturbed him, though he wouldn’t admitted. Even though Uruha’s house seemed so cluttered and full the atmosphere felt cold and empty. There was piles of salt in odd places, and papers scribbled with weird languages stuck in and under random things around the bedroom and livingroom.

 

   Checking his phone, he pulled up the new text from Reita. “We’ll be there by six.” What time was it? Twelve til five. It had apparently taken Reita a few hours to bail Uruha out and now he apparently took Uruha to the walk-in clinic, which… Ruki offered to pay for too. There goes all of his savings since it took a million fucking yen to bail that bastard out. Well…. Not literally, but it sure as hell seemed like it.

 

   It was only because he pitied the man. He was an alcoholic with no friends, no food, and he was obsessed with aliens; so it was safe to assume he probably didn’t sleep well at night. But there was also something else… Buried deep down there was hidden motives that Ruki would never acknowledge. For him to face the truth he would have to face Uruha’s truth, and boy he knew he wasn’t ready to step into that dark, cold, world. If he had it his way he’d never have to. He’d just wave at Uruha once a week and live his life care free… at least… that’s what he told himself.

 

   All Ruki ever needed was Reita. All Reita ever needed was Ruki. That’s how it was. That’s how it’s been for years and years. They were yin and yang, night and day. Until Uruha came and fucked everything up. That’s how he felt. Despite knowing the man for such a short time he decided he hates the way Reita looks at him. He hates how soft Reita was towards him, how the blonde would cling to every word that came out of that drunk fuck’s mouth. Never had Reita been so interested in someone other than Ruki to this degree. It scared him. But also he wanted to see Uruha the way Reita did, he wanted to take in his words and nod his head in understanding, to be the one Uruha smiled at. Fuck this, he was never good at making friends.

 

   Year after year, in high school and in the first year of college, he had no friends other than Reita. Reita had been his rock. Though his codependency was very unhealthy, he never wanted to sever the bond he and his best friend had. They grew up together, had shared most of their lives together. Ruki tried and tried to make new friends, but all they ever did was piss him off. Then there was Hidiko, a senior he met in his second year of college who coaxed him into making a manga together, and Ruki was rudely awoken one day to find out through social media that Hidiko had taken Ruki’s name off manga they made, the manga that was trending online. Countless hours of hard work stolen by his so called friend. After that the small man just shut down towards other people. He tried to be friendly but really he had no interest in letting anyone into his life… Until now. Too bad that person was a Giorgio Tsoukalos wanna-be!

 

   It was only another forty minutes until Uruha walked through the door with Reita’s jacket around his shoulders. The honey blonde froze at the smell. Nothing musty. Instead a delicious waft of lemon Lysol and home-made curry reached his nose. It smelled… homey. It wasn’t a scent he was used to but it was very welcoming. The sickly man stiffened when he realized that the work he left on the table was no longer there and that he could clearly see the ancient rug on the floor of his living room. He prayed to the gods, and all that could hear him, that all of his research was not thrown away.

 

   Not sure what to expect, Uruha wobbled in cautiously, peeking into the kitchen. Ruki flashed him a welcoming smile as he poured the contents of a pot into three separate bowls. “Hey.” He greeted sheepishly, feeling awkward about everything that happened. “Welcome back.”

 

   “Don’t pretend to smile, it doesn’t suit you.” The words came out as a breathy whisper just as Uruha turned to grab a beer out of the fridge. Stunned, Ruki’s eyes widened. Even Reita shifted awkwardly as they both studied Uruha’s movements. “Did you... throw out my beer?”

 

   Ruki’s jaw tensed. “I did.”

 

   “You don’t need beer.” Reita scolded quickly as Uruha shut the fridge door in defeat. The bigger man pouted childishly, instantly looking younger than both of them. He was still pale, Ruki noticed, but he was at least walking on his own. “Remember what the doctor said.”

 

   “I am a doctor.” Uruha groaned, getting a cup of water instead.

 

   “Go sit down.” Ruki ordered, adding rice. “Dinner’s ready.”

 

   With an excited grin, Reita started vibrating like an excited puppy. “Dinner!” He whispered to Uruha, making him chuckle as he grasped Reita’s shoulder to steady himself, walking out to the table. He was starting to feel weak again, exhausted from the days events. A piping hot bowl of fresh food plopped in front of him made Uruha’s mouth water. It wasn’t noodles, but at least he liked curry. He ate slowly to not only savor the taste but to ease it into his still aching stomach. Watching Reita inhale his bowl was making him feel nauseous and he just wasn’t sure how long he could hang in there.

 

   Glancing up he was mildly surprised to meet Ruki’s concerned eyes. The small man blushed and looked away quickly, flustered that he had been caught. “How are you feeling?” He asked, rolling around a piece of meat in his bowl. “I cleaned your bedroom so you can rest tonight.”

 

   “Where are they?”

 

   Ruki’s head snapped up, lips parting in confusion. “What?”

 

   “The papers I had on the table, where-”

 

   “Oh, I put them in a safe place.” He offered a reassuring smile. “I organized them and put them on your desk.”

 

   Uruha groaned.”But my desk is messy!”

 

   “Not anymore.”

 

   He and Ruki locked eyes again and his gaze noticed the proud smile on Ruki’s lips. His bottom lip was… pleasantly plump. Tearing his eyes away he forced down another spoon full of curry. “Thank you.” He murmured, feeling conflicted as to whether or not he should be happy Ruki cleaned his house or annoyed that his privacy was invaded. Truth be told if Ruki had asked to see what he was working on he would have happily showed him, so he supposed he shouldn’t feel angry. He liked the look on Ruki. A natural smile. Even though it wasn’t aimed towards him, it was a sight to behold “It looks good on you.” He finally decided to share, glancing up again. “When you smile naturally.” He watched as Ruki’s eyes widened slightly, smirking as the small brunette blushed.

 

   Reita’s observed silently, chewing on his spoon. Were they…. flirting? Uruha’s face lit up when Ruki blushed and Ruki grumbled a small “Whatever.” in reply. It was an interesting turn of events, but Reita decided not to bring it to light, relieved they were actually getting along.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After dinner Uruha crashed quickly. Reita helped him into bed while Ruki did the dishes. “Hey.” He whispered, looking up from the sink as Reita shut the bedroom door behind him. “How is he?”

 

   “Much better than this morning. He held his food down but he still has a fever. That guy passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.”

 

   “He did look exhausted.” sighing, Ruki dried his hands off on his jeans since Uruha apparently didn’t own a kitchen towel. He was making a mental list of all the things Uruha needed, shaking his head in disapproval.

 

   “Yeah… He told me he doesn’t usually sleep more than four hours.”

 

   “Why?” He turned to Reita who leaned beside him on the kitchen counter, crossing his arms.

 

   Reita hesitated for a moment, wincing slightly as his best friend shot him a harsh gaze. “He says the voices wake him up.”

 

   “The voices...” Ruki repeated breathlessly, inhaling sharply. Suddenly feeling emotionally exhausted, the brunette held onto the counter to keep himself upright. So there was mental illness going on with him. No wonder he shut himself inside, he wasn’t getting the help he needed. That’s when he changed his mind. About how he felt about Uruha in general, he was going to help him. “You head home, I’m going to stay here tonight, keep an eye on him.”

 

   “Taka-”

 

   “Don’t.” He smiled, proud of himself for making such a decision. Ruki was never the kind of person that would help others. He wasn’t seen as very compassionate, usually he would declare that he hated all human beings on this earth. People, after all, were assholes. But maybe his views were too… edgy? He was a grown ass man now, not an angsty teen. It was time for him to start stepping up to the plate. It was time for him to come out of his shell and start helping someone who needed it.

 

   Recognizing the look of determination on Ruki’s face, Reita chuckled in defeat. “Okay.” He hummed, pulling his jacket on. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

   “Goodnight!” Ruki called after him once he slipped out the door. He stood silently for a few minutes, just listening to the ticking of an old clock Uruha had shoved somewhere in his living room. Kicking his shoes off, he made his way to the couch. It was old and smelled heavily of Uruha, but it wasn’t awfully uncomfortable, thankfully. Curling his small body onto it with ease, Ruki pulled the afghan blanket down to cover himself. His back was still sore from bending and scrubbing for long hours, and his eyes fell shut instantly. He didn’t feel how exhausted his bones were until he relaxed, falling asleep rather quickly.

 

 

 

 

Whispering. There was whispering just in front of the couch. Soft giggles now, as if they were discussing him. Ruki didn’t move, too comfortable in his spot. He assumed it was Reita and Uruha whispering, probably making fun of how cute he looked while sleeping. Ruki was very aware of how cute he looked while sleeping because it wouldn’t be the first time Reita teased him over it.

 

   His back was to the voices and Ruki groaned softly, pressing his face further into the couch cushions. He felt like he had hardly slept at all, It was too early for his friend’s shenanigans. But they only continued. Feeling annoyed now, Ruki rolled onto his back, prying his eyes open to glare at them and tell them to fuck off. Instead he was met with the black of night. It wasn’t even morning yet! Hell, he had no idea what time it was.

 

   Then who the fuck was talking? Was a radio on somewhere by Uruha’s desk? It was faint and jumbled enough to the point where Ruki couldn’t understand the words. How fucking annoying. With a sigh he sat up, moving around to find the side table. The voices suddenly stopped once Ruki’s rustling started. Hand finding the lamp, the man switched it on, an action he would soon regret. For he was met face to face with a solid back humanoid figure, much taller than Uruha, just staring down at him silently.

 

   Ruki’s whole body froze, his core quaking with pure fear. He couldn’t breathe, his throat closed and his skin grew cold as the hair on his body stood on edge. Horrified, terrified. He couldn’t blink. He couldn’t rip his eyes away. This thing… it wasn’t human. It had no skin, nor eyes, nor any visible mouth. But it was solid. It was there, tilting its head at him in an amused and intimidating manner.

 

   Only when it moved towards him, trying to reach out to touch him, did Ruki’s throat finally open enough to let a shrill scream escape his lips. But did he scream? He didn’t know. All he could hear was his quivering pulse thundering against his eardrums. Suddenly the creature’s head snapped up as if it was focusing on something behind them. It stayed frozen in place for a few minutes, making clicking noises as it looked over the couch.

 

   The small man felt like his heart was going to give out any second, it was beating so painfully fast. He struggled to breathe, too scared to make even the smallest movement or noise. He could feel wetness roll down his cheeks and sting his lips. Tears he didn’t even feel himself shed. With wide child-like eyes, he watched as the thing slowly backed up and away from him. Almost as fast as it appeared it vanished into nothing.

 

   Ruki’s whole body convulsed with sheer terror as large strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him unwillingly into a chest. His head snapped around as fast as it could and his large frightened eyes were met with Uruha’s sleepy ones. Finally… he was safe. He tried to suck in a much needed breath but only a wet sob came out as he pressed his trembling form needily against Uruha. His head felt dizzy as he gasped for air between his sobs, leaning into Uruha’s body heat as the man caressed his hair soothingly.

 

   “Shhh.” He whispered, holding Ruki against him tightly. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.” Uruha rocked him gently, watching him with concern.

 

   “T-That thing-”

 

   “It was a shadow entity.” He said slowly. “I saw it too.”

 

   “It was real-”

 

   “I know.” He wiped Ruki’s tears from his rosy cheeks once the younger man looked up at him. Uruha could feel every quiver of his body,;but he could also feel every breath, and his breathing was slowly evening out as he began to calm down. His small hands still clutched onto Uruha’s night shirt tightly, not that Uruha minded. He kept rocking Ruki and petting his hair until the tears finally stopped.

 

   “I want to go home.” He whispered, but made no move to leave the embrace.

 

   With a sigh, Uruha scooped him up, Ruki curling against him like a child. It was clear that the event was quite traumatic for him. Deciding it was best if Ruki didn’t stay any longer, he tried to balance him as he walked over to slip his ducky slippers on. “I know.” He whispered reassuringly. “I’m taking you home right now, okay?”

 

   Ruki only nodded, burying his face into Uruha’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so late! I had a really stressful week last week so I put it off! Anyways please tell me what you thought of this chapter! And if you haven't already then please hit that kudos button so I know I'm doing a good job with my story!


	8. Yearnings We Didn't Know Existed

Glancing up a few times to make sure his guest was okay, Uruha stirred the hot cocoa on the stove. Its sweet scent was calming Ruki down but did nothing for his trembling body. “Are you okay?” He asked softly, watching as he hiccuped. Ruki just nodded slowly, watching as Uruha poured two mugs. “This isn’t exactly regular hot chocolate. This is Mexican drinking chocolate.”

 

Half way back to his house, Ruki had decided he didn’t want to go home after all. He had clung to Uruha, making him walk them back since he didn’t want Reita to know Ruki was freaked out yet again. Understanding the position, and not wanting Ruki’s best friend to think he was losing it, Uruha reluctantly brought him back. Not because he didn’t want Ruki there, no, the company was greatly appreciated for he had been alone for far too long. It was because he was worried other supernatural beings would pop out of the wood work and scare his neighbor further.

 

“Fancy.” Ruki chuckled and grabbed it as Uruha handed it to him over the island. He sipped on it, humming happily. “What the fuck was that thing?”

 

“Oh him? I’m sorry about that, he visits sometimes but I’m pretty used to it now.” He walked around before taking a seat next to Ruki. “Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep? You still look pale.”

 

“I feel fucked up.” The brunette murmured, taking in another long sip. He suddenly wondered if this is how Uruha regularly felt. Crazy and fearful. Ruki felt like he was losing his fucking mind, but he also knew that it was all real. “Is this… what you go through?” He asked apprehensively, not sure if he wanted to know the truth. The honey blonde only nodded, making Ruki sink further into the couch. “If I dealt with this every night I would just kill myself.”

 

“I can’t say I haven’t tried.” Came Uruha’s dry chuckle.

 

Ruki pressed his lips to the rim of the coffee cup, his chest aching at those words. “I’m sorry.” He murmured, tears suddenly spilling down his cheeks. “I’m such an asshole, I’m so sorry.” Small whimpers escaped his lips as he began crying again. He leaned into Uruha’s palm when the big man rubbed his back, whispering soothing things. The cup was gently taken from him before he was coaxed up.

 

“Come on.” He murmured, smiling small. “You’re tired, I can tell. You take my bed tonight.”

 

Too exhausted to argue, Ruki stumbled into Uruha’s bedroom, climbing into the bed. Before Uruha could retreat to the couch, Ruki latched onto his hand. “Please stay!” He nearly begged. “I don’t want to be alone.”

 

Hesitating he slowly nodded. It was weird seeing the little spit-fire like this, almost uncomfortable even. But he obliged, sitting in the chair next to the bed Uruha allowed Ruki to keep a tight grasp on his hand. He watched over him as the brunette closed his eyes, listening to his soft breathing. He caressed Ruki’s tiny hand in his own, momentarily mesmerized by the small fingers. A laugh bubbled up and died in his chest. How funny was he? Such a little man with the whole world dancing in his eyes. He was a flame licking the heels of time. He wished he could see Ruki’s future, begged to god one day it would be clear. Because he liked Ruki, he really did. Ruki had issues, but then again so did he. The brunette was a small spark ignited by the universe its self. He was beautiful.

 

Perhaps this was the person he had been waiting. The person who will change his destiny on a grand scale. Face softening once he realized the little man was asleep, Uruha tucked him in. This really does change everything. The witch smiled to himself, allowing his mind to drift off into a dreamless slumber.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Wet fog pressed against his chilled skin. His eyes scanned the forest, squinting through the dim light of the painfully slow sunrise. Would the sky get any brighter than this? He thought not, for this was a place never meant to be touched by warmth. Step after strep on crumbling leaves, Reita advanced forward. It was familiar, as if he walked this path a thousand times before. White smoke danced from his lips as his lungs filled with frozen oxygen. Crows called in the far distance to fill the silent void every few minutes. He kept walking, knowing where he was going but not knowing all the same.

 

It wasn’t until he paused at an alter did he realize where he was. The clearing looked the same as it always did. Wide and empty. Ominous. Dark. The sky was burning purple now, and his body temperature dropped every second. Colder and colder until he was feeling pins and needles. Trying to brace himself to keep what little body heat he had left in tact, Reita started walking backwards. The crow calls because louder and closer until it sounded like they were screaming in his ears. North, south, east, west. He looked in all directions, frantically searching for something. His heart thundered loudly in his chest, almost blocking out the bird cries until everything became abruptly silent and still.

 

Something was wrong. There were no voices this time, no human screams. Nothing. Something was wrong. Something was wrong. Something was wrong; those are the only words he repeated in his mind. Something was wrong and his gut instinct told him not to stick around and find out what it was. Then he heard it. A murderous lament from the fog before him.

 

“Gloriam meam ego Dominus. Et holocausti victimam sanguine foedatum semen eorum. Quorum patres et redde illis est dare tam super name.”*

 

It sounded like dozens of men were speaking the mantra all at once.

 

“He quia voluptas et dolor. Permanébit dolores intulit. Invocabit supplex et contremiscunt. Et faciet, et genua orare. Ad verecundiam operuit semen suum. Operuit in sementem generis humani. Miserabilibus lacrimis oculos. Domine Deus meus fiest velis.”**

 

He turned towards the exiting path, starting to run. Faster and faster, the voices keeping up with him. They were chasing him. They were going to kill him. He could hardly breathe, his legs trembling under his weight as he hurtled himself back towards the house. He jumped over logs and tripped over rocks and roots. The fallen leaves cackling under his every step, alerting the mob to his location. He was going to die, wasn’t he? Fuck they’re so close now…

 

Holding his breath he finally broke through to the clearing between his house and the woods. Only nine yards left! Glancing over his shoulder he noticed them stop before the tall grass, lining up around the outskirts of the woods to study him. They looked like witch doctors this time. Long beaked masks and vantablack cloaks. All twelve of them fell silent as they watch him reach his porch.

 

Reita took the stairs three at a time, scrambling to get up before grasping the handle to the sliding back door. With all of his might he tried to heave it open, cursing when it didn’t budge. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He nearly sobbed, banging on the glass. “Ruki!” He could hear the men starting to walk into the grass towards him, the rustling unmistakable. “Ruki! Please! Open the door!” He begged, slamming the fists against the glass as hard as he could.

 

Finally Ruki appeared, opening the door deliberately slow. Reita had to shove himself in through the thin crack before slamming it shut and locking it. He panted, trying to catch his breath, not noticing the angry way Ruki gazed at him. “Go hide I’ll call the- ohgh!” Gasping, Reita’s eyes slowly widened and trailed down to the knife lodged in his stomach. Looking up in confusion he watched as Ruki slipped a bird mask on, giggles escaping his lips. “Got you~!”

 

 

Eyes flying open as his lungs constricted tightly, Reita shot up in his bed. He gasped with each breath as he struggled to gain his bearings. Pulling up his shirt to examine himself he found no stab wound and no blood. Thank god it wasn’t real! Bleached hair damp and sticking to his face and neck, Reita ran his bony fingers through the locks. He took a sip of water to moisten his dry throat, heart still beating a million miles per hour.

 

Despite being so shaken up, Reita pushed himself out of his bed and threw on the nearest wearable clothes he could find. Slipping on some shoes before heading downstairs, steps frantic. He could feel it deep within the pit of his stomach. The pull, the woods calling his name. Come hither; they spoke, and he knew he should. Reita didn’t grab a bite to eat, or his keys, or his sunglasses or phone. He just walked right out the back door, stride wide with intent. He needed to find the place from his dreams. He needed to find the alter.

 

This time the air wasn’t so cold and the sky was a stark blue against the few clouds that roamed the open. It was real life and he was relieved to know so. What was in his heart? It wasn’t courage, but it wasn’t fear either. If anything it was heavy, like it was filled with rocks. He felt like this would be both bad and good. As he slowly made his way across the field he stopped just before entering the forest.

 

“Alright Aki-” he whispered to himself, “you know that as soon as you step foot in here, nothing will ever be the same.” Letting his eyes flutter shut for a moment, Reita inhaled the crisp scent of rotting leaves and distant wood-burning stoves. This was the day he had been waiting for for a long long time. This was the day he finally faces that which haunts him.

 

Taking that faithful step in, he walked the way he came in his dreams. He instantly noticed and was startled by the fact that everything was the same. The same rocks, the same moss on the same trees. The same old soda cans buried deep in the fallen pine needles. However it was also different, more alive. There was an ant hill near the bend, the bugs scurrying to save themselves from the bottom of his shoes. The birds whistled and the squirrels searched for autumn nuts to prepare for a long slumber. It wasn’t quiet and eerie and dead like it was in his dreams.

 

Okay that was a good sign. His shoulders began to relax and he pushed on, only stopping when the tips of his toes entered the clearing. Reita nearly stopped breathing as he spotted the alter. Not that it was alarming, but the person sitting on it was. White night gown cascading loosely, too big for their tiny frame. Long midnight kissed locks looping over their shoulders. Was it…? It was…. The man from his dreams. But he looked so feminine, so soft and pale.

 

The man slowly looked up at Reita, and his breath hitched the moment their eyes locked. He was absolutely gorgeous. Big ember eyes glowing at him like he sparked a fire. Plush pink lips turned up into a beautiful bow gasped at him.

 

“It’s you!” Reita took a step back, thrown off by how deep his voice was. This was the voice that called to him every night, the voice that screamed for help. The blonde’s chest twisted as he watched the raven haired man stand, finally noticing how thin his legs were. He looked sickly.

 

“You’re the first person who has ever been able to hear me.” He murmured, walking forward slowly.

 

The much bigger man froze as the raven wrapped his arms around him, throwing his small body against Reita’s, in desperate need of a hug. Unsure of what to do, Reita awkwardly hugged him back. In a weird way he felt relieved. Like he had finally found something he had been yearning for. “You were the one who sent me those dreams?” He watched the dark hair bounce as the man nodded.

 

“I’m sorry I-…. I was just so lonely-” His bottom lip trembled as he looked up at Reita, who was a few inches taller. “Please stay with me for awhile. I’m so scared.”

 

Unable to resist such a cute crying face, he instantly nodded. “Shhh, I’m here now, it’s okay I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He cooed, instantly brushing the tears from the dusty red cheeks. “My name is Reita, what’s yours?”

 

“Aoi.” He replied just above a whisper, instantly blushing hard at the gesture. “My name is Aoi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I will honor you my lord. A sacrificial lamb covered in the seed of men and the blood of their sins. Their fathers will pay for giving them such a name. 
> 
> **He shall know pleasure and pain. He shall endure the suffering brought upon us. He shall cry and beg and tremble. He shall kneel and pray. Covered in the seed of his shame. Covered in the seed of humanity. Pitiful with tears in his eyes. O god of mine would you like to feast?


	9. The Things We See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of the 9th chapter of this story, When Autumn Leaves is now considered a novella and only has 17,997 more words to go before it's considered a novel! Thank you to everyone who has read it this far! Please keep reading and let's reach novel status together!

Sitting next to the ghostly figure on the dew kissed blades of grass, Reita’s dark eyes roamed over the shivering man. He was so tiny, causing him to look half his age. “How old are you?” The words were so light they were like a puff of air out of his mouth and they wouldn’t have reached Aoi’s ears if the wind hadn’t carried them.

 

   Pulling his bruised and bony knees up to his chest, he shrugged. “Twenty-something.”

 

   “Twenty something?” He raised his brow. Aoi only nodded in return.

 

   “Age is a human construct.”

 

   “Okay….” He watched as the dark haired male gazed emptily into the distant morning fog. His bare arms were just as battered and bruised as his knees, dry blood on his lips disappeared slowly with every lick. Reita would have mistook him for a walking skeleton if he didn’t know any better. “Where are you from?”

 

   “I live here.” Aoi wiggled his blue bare toes in the grass.

 

   “In the forest?”

 

   “I live everywhere.” He tilted his head, shooting a smile that didn’t reach his lifeless eyes. “But here is my favorite place."

 

   An unsettling feeling started creeping up Reita’s neck from the base of his spine. Aoi wasn’t all there, so it seemed. He was like an empty carcass, a puppet. Something terrible must have happened to him. “Are you running away from someone?” His voice fell again. This time Aoi tensed, which was very different from the elegant languid body language he showed off earlier. He became ridged and his lips parted as if he had gasped.

 

   “Yes.” He whispered after a long moment of many thoughts coursing through his slow mind. “That’s why I scream and cry every night...”

 

   “Did he do this to you?” Slowly, as not to startle the poor thing, Reita gently took Ao’s hands into his own. Running his fingers over the scabbed knuckles he took notice of how bloody his nails were. Aoi didn’t speak, he only nodded before he let out a shameful sob. Turning away quickly, he covered his mouth in an attempt to shield himself from Reita. How pathetic. How humiliating he felt. What had he expected when he screamed at night for a savior? That question would have came eventually.

 

   Reita didn’t know what to do. He rubbed his back, feeling both heart broken and awkward. “I’m sorry.” He heard Aoi whisper. He weakly pushed himself up, legs trembling under his weight as he started stumbling away.

 

   “Wait!” Reita scrambled after him, completely dumbfounded by the sudden change in behavior.

 

   “Don’t!” The words trembled on his lips. “Don’t follow me-”

 

   The blonde came to a stop, watching as the mysterious man disappear among the trees. With a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair, heart racing. The bitter air prickled his cheeks and the cold started setting into his bones. Not only the cold of the autumn morning but the cold sense of dread that settled under his skin and encased every bone and organ in his body. “Aoi?” He called, starting to go after him. He must be so terrified, Reita understood that, but how could he just leave like that? Had he done something wrong? Was it the hug he gave him earlier? “Aoi!?’ He screamed out, a fer birds crying back at him. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. Please? I just want to help!” Only more silence ensued before he gave up.

 

   He wouldn’t give up for good, of course. He needed to contact the police or bring back food and a first aid kit or something. Turning around he suddenly froze in confusion. He had… met Aoi in the clearing… hadn’t he? Tree upon tree, one after another grown in close proximity filled the once empty space and had done so while his back was turned. He was in the heart of the forest. “I’m losing my fucking mind-” He breathed as his fingers traced the bark of the tree closest to him. This place was maddening and he needed to get out fast. With no sense of direction anymore, the blonde started walking straight and did so for an uneasy amount of time.

 

   His athletic legs ached, his tongue dry, and belly empty. For maybe two hours his legs moved one after another until he finally broke out of the tree line and onto the side of the main highway. Glancing at the orange burning sky before bending down to catch his breath, he quickly shot his hand out to wave down a patrol car that was on its way past him. That had to be a stroke of good luck, or perhaps the universe was trying to tell him something, but it was a blessing to Reita as the police pulled over and got out of the car. Standing about as tall as him with wavy brown hair- shit! Not him again!

 

   “What seems to be the matter?” The officer smiled kindly at him, his single dimple annoying Reita. Not too sure what to say about his encounter, he opened and closed his mouth a few times.

 

   “I’m sorry- there’s a boy in the woods. He looks like he’s been badly beaten.”

 

   He watched as the man’s face fell into a more serious look. “What did he look like? Did he say anything to you?”

 

   “About my height, super skinny, long black hair, big lips, wide eyes, pale skin.” Licking his lips, Reita sucked in a deep breath to try and calm his heavy panting. “Um… He said he was in his twenties and he lives in the forest-”

 

   “Oh, him?” The officer suddenly laughed, throwing back his head. “Don’t mind him.”

 

   “What?”

 

   “We’re already working on it.”

 

   Reita swallowed thickly at the toothy grin shot in his direction. “Oh, okay...”

 

   “Let me take you home.” He placed a gloved hand on the small of Reita’s back, leading him to the back seat of the patrol car. Reita waited for the locks to click open before sliding in. “What’s your address?”

 

   “I’m living in the Matsumoto house, if you know it.”

 

   “Aaah, so you must be the friend Takanori told me about.!” He exclaimed excitedly, looking at Reita through the rear-view mirror as he pulled onto the road. “I’m Yutaka by the way. Taka and I grew up together.”

 

   “Oh yeah?” Reita perked up. “I think he told me about you. Something about being a fussy mother?”

 

   Yutaka laughed, but this time it was filled with humor and joy. “That sounds about right. What’s your name again?”

 

   “You can call me Reita.’

 

   “Reita...” he mused. “Sounds like the name of a band member or something.”

 

   “Is that good or bad?”

 

   “Good! It’s cool, man!”

 

   “Thanks...”

 

   “By the way… I wanted to apologize… I know the way we met wasn’t very positive and you probably think I’m a prick.” Yutaka glanced over his shoulder at him to examine his expression. “I just hope we can be friends.”

 

   “Sure, I’d like that.”

 

   “Taka just… he just means so much to me.” He smiled small. “We spent almost every day together for years, you know? We were close.”

 

   “I totally know what you mean, man. I don’t know what I’d do without my fiery gnome.”

 

   “Gnome?’ He threw his head back and laughed without taking his eyes off the road. “Yeah. By the way, I like your nose cloth.”

 

   Reita blushed as Kai pulled up in front of the house. “Thanks it’s uh... a nose band.” He could see Ruki nearly fly out the front door as Kai got out and opened the back for him.

 

   “Where have you been?” Ruki hissed as the blonde climbed out. “You left your phone here and the back door was wide open!”

 

   “I’m sorry.” He smiled sheepishly. “When did you get back?”

 

   “This morning.” Ruki mumbled grumpily, his tense shoulders melting when he noticed Yutaka. Reita nearly tuned out their conversation as he looked back up at the sky that was now turning darker. This morning… Had he been in the woods all day? He swore it was only a few hours… how could-?

 

   “Rei?” Snapping his head up, he looked at Ruki and Yutaka who both stared at him expectantly.

 

   “Yeah?”

 

   “Do you want to go to Yutaka’s with me? I want to meet his husband.”

 

   “Sure- let me… I’m going to go wash up and change.”

 

   Yutaka nodded. “I’ll go get dinner started, I’ll see you guys in about an hour?”

 

   After waving goodbye, Ruki followed Reita into the house. “Hey, you okay?” The blonde just shook his head.

 

   “I finally met him.”

 

   “Who?”

 

   “The man calling me in my dreams.”

 

   Ruki froze, his chest didn’t rise,and his lungs burned with the stillness as horror flooded his mind. “Rei… What?”

 

   “He’s real, Ruki. He’s a real guy living in the woods.”

 

   “How is this even possible?” He breathed. “Is that where you were all day?”

 

   “Yeah...” Reita paused. “I was in the forest for maybe three hours. I walked in at dawn and walked out at sunset. That place is freaky as fuck, Taka. I feel like I’m going to lose my damn mind.” He ran his fingers through his hair, jaw trembling with emotion.

 

   Seeing his eyes so glossed over, Ruki didn’t know what else to do other than to hug his best friend. He wrapped his arms around him, flattening his small body against Reita’s muscular chest. “It’s okay.” He tried to soothe, rubbing his back as Reita buried his face in his shoulder. “You’re freezing. Go take a shower and we’ll eat at Kai’s. We can talk about this when we get home, okay?”

 

   “Okay.” He replied quietly, heavy with anxiety. Reita gently led him in the general direction of the bathroom. “Go, I’ll be right here.” He watched as the blonde nodded and ascended up the steps before taking out a much needed cigarette. Fuck, he’s going through a pack a day now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Come in!” Yutaka grinned as he let Reita and Ruki enter his home. “Here let me-” Like a good host he took their jackets, hanging them up. “I’m glad you came! For a second there I thought maybe you wouldn’t.”

 

   “Sorry.” Ruki laughed, playing with the neck of his turtle-neck shirt. “I should have called. Reita and I both had to shower.”

 

   “Don’t worry about it.” Yutaka beamed, leading them into the kitchen. “It happens.”

 

   Yutaka’s house was a very nice and newly built western styled home. Located in an upper middle-class neighborhood, it was quite impressive. Hand copied pictures of famous paintings were hung around the entrance hall and the kitchen was full of brand new stainless steal appliances. Reita and Ruki looked around in awe, the house being a huge contrast from Ruki’s grandfather’s and Uruha’s houses. It was like they were suddenly transported back into proper civilization and were no longer stuck in the dingy countryside.

 

   “Holy shit-” Ruki breathed. “You have a wine rack wall in your kitchen?”

 

   “Yeah, I have a wine cellar too just in case it all doesn’t fit here. My husband mainly fills these up with sake though.” The brunette flashed his dimples as he laughed. “He’s a bit obsessed I suppose, but that’s okay. Come see the living room!”

 

   The two trailed behind him, jaws dropping at the sight of Yutaka’s in-home theater and the massive TV sitting before them in all its glory.

 

   “Jesus Yuta, where did you get this kind of money?”

 

   “My husband works in a big corporation.” He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Wait until you see the indoor waterfall!”

 

   “The what!?”

 

   “I’m joking!” Yutaka quickly waved his hand. “We have a pool but it’s outside.”

 

   “Fuck you! I really wanted to see a waterfall!” Ruki whined, following Yutaka as they moved to a different part of the house.

 

   Reita started tuning them out, tired and uninterested. Finally Yutaka took them into the wine cellar, showing Ruki different types he had gotten a hold of, letting him pick which one they’ll have with dinner. Reita wondered down the hall a bit, hoping to find a bathroom. There were a few rooms. The garage, what looked like a gambling type play room, and finally an old weathered door that sat at the very end of the hall. The door was once a white now had a yellow-ish hue. The paint in the corners and around the trim was cracked and flaking. It was severely out of place compared to the rest of the house. Something deep within his mind was intrigued by the room, its obscurity and its placement. Gripping the knob tightly he attempted to twist it, only to find it locked. Deciding it probably wasn’t remolded yet, Reita turned to leave, freezing when he came face to face with a slightly shorter man with platinum blonde hair and a rather soft face. Though his features appeared to be otherworldly he didn’t seem too happy.

 

   “Lost?” The man snapped with quite the unsettling angelic voice.

 

   Swallowing thickly, Reita nodded. “I’m sorry, I was looking for the restroom.”

 

   “It’s upstairs with everyone else.” He smiled, honey words dripping with undertones of a venom.

 

   Reita just nodded slowly, following the man upstairs.

 

   Faintly did Reita notice the thin blue line encasing the man’s body, his very own ghostly aura it seemed. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, opening them again and suddenly the film was gone. Fuck he needed a drink. Fuck, it’s been a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late updates! Since I'm going to school now and I'll be starting a new job in the next few days where I'll be working when I don't have studies, so I can't say updates will come more consistent. I've been going through a rough time but things should level out by spring! So please keep supporting me until then! If you enjoyed this chapter please give me your thoughts below, and kudos always make me SUPER happy! Thank you for reading and happy holidays!


	10. Human Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: I have changed the warnings, in the last chapter I accidentally refereed to Shinya as "boyfriend" but he is in fact Yutaka's "Husband"
> 
> I cried while writing the first half of this chapter (seriously listen to sad piano music and just really imagine it )

“There you are baby!” Yutaka snaked his arm around the silver mystery man’s waist once he reached the top of the stairs. Reita watched in interest as the man whispered into Yutaka’s ear. Yutaka nodded, his attention directed back to Reita. “I see you met my husband. Shinya this is Reita, Takanori’s boyfriend.”

 

   Ruki choked on his wine at the accusation, blushing hard as he averted Shinya’s gaze. “Friend.” Reita corrected. “We’re just friends.”

 

   “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-..” Yutaka’s face fell as he trailed off, finally becoming sincere. Reita would have noticed it if it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t rip his eyes off of Shinya. Besides the unusually honey eyes, the man’s hair was nearly silver; not in the aging sort of way, yet it seemed too healthy to be dyed frequently. And… oh yeah… the blue aura following his every movement, every time his hair swayed, his fingers rose, or an eyelash was bat it stayed perfectly in place encasing every inch of Shinya’s lithe body. He looked like a haunted doll, so beautiful and untainted yet so wrong.

 

   The husband known as Shinya bowed as an offered greeting to Reita. Thrown off by the sudden act of respect considering he was basically dragged up the stairs by the man, Reita bowed forward slightly in return.

 

   “I’m Takanori.” Ruki joined them. “Yutaka was telling me all about you. You work in a corporation?”

 

   Shifting his weight he nodded. “That’s correct.”

 

   “What kind of stuff do you do?”

 

   “Stocks mainly.” He shrugged. “My company is really into bitcoin right now.”

 

   Ruki’s eyes widened a bit and he nodded since he didn’t really understand anything about that. “That’s neat… can I have more wine?”

 

   “Sure!” A beaming Yutaka filled Ruki’s glass to the top. It was amazing how many characteristics this guy had. From serious to chagrined to a wagging puppy in the matter of minutes. “Do you like it?” The small man just hummed and nodded, lips pressed to the rim like a thirsty camel. “It’s an 1875 Chateau Margaux.” Yutaka announced proudly. Reita just blinked, not sure what that even meant. Luckily for Yutaka his old school mate did.

 

   Nearly doing a spit-take, Ruki coughed on the liquid. “Yuta!” He gasped. “That’s like fifty-seven thousand yen!”

 

   “Hmmm… give or take...”

 

   “Holy shit! I can’t drink this!”

 

   “Oh yes you can!” The officer laughed, going as far as to even refill Ruki’s glass to the rim yet again, only to make his point. “I much rather share this fine wine with an old friend than with someone I hardly have any memories of.”

 

   “Thank you.” There was sadness lacing Ruki’s words as he sipped. An underlying melancholy for a time that was long gone, not nearly erased but for sure eroded. “Hey… what ever happened to Yuu?” He swirled the Chateau Margaux, staring at the liquid in a trance. “Every time I ask someone they look away and refuse to say anything. Did he get into some kind of trouble or what?”

 

   “Yuu….” Their host leaned against the counter and crossed his arms as he stared at the wall in thought. He weighed his options on whether or not he should even say this to Takanori. His words now too were sad, much sadder than Ruki’s had been. A kind of sad that came from the darkest reaches of ones heart. “Innocent little Yuu… yeah… heh-” Yutaka breathed, shoulders slouching as he took a minute to collect himself. “You can say he got into trouble… No one has brought him up in so long, Taka. It’s almost as if he doesn’t exist at all.”

 

   The look on Ruki’s face was unreadable. Heart nearly stopped inside his chest, Yutaka’s last words planting the seed of anxiety deep within his belly. “Where is he? Is everything okay?”

 

   The next words Yutaka breathed out were words Ruki hadn’t prepared himself to ever hear. Never thought he would ever hear. Since he first started packing for his trip to Kanagawa, even before calling Reita to bully him into coming along, Ruki’s first thoughts were Yuu. Sweet little Yuu who always hid behind him when someone bullied him. Little Yuu that burst into tears whenever a bug flew past him. The Yuu who begged Ruki to keep the light on during their sleepovers because he was afraid of the dark well into his middleschool years. The Yuu Ruki had so fondly protected and loved. If there was anything he had missed about his old life it was his little friend. So precious and innocent, untouched by corruption and without a care in the world. “He’s dead.”

 

   Dead.

 

   Yuu…. was dead.

 

   The Yuu he snuggled up to on cold nights.

 

   The first person he ever came out to who accepted him instantly.

 

   The little kid with big warm onyx eyes who always looked up to Ruki even when he grew well past in height.

 

   His Yuu…. Snatched from the world.

 

   Suddenly Takanori felt dizzy. He braced himself on the counter, throat burning as he swallowed his dry spit. “How?” He whispered, unaware of the tears collecting in his eyes.

 

   He couldn’t even look at Yutaka as the man shook his head. “They don’t know… His body was found in the forest behind your subdivision. They think he wondered in one winter and thought the pond was frozen over...”

 

    “He drowned?” He covered his mouth, imagining Yuu falling through thin ice, his body trapped under as his midnight hair floated around his head like a halo. The image of him struggling, hitting the ice in a weak attempt to get out was so vivid in his mind.

 

   “No... they… they think he froze to death. But by the time he was found the body was too decomposed to tell.”

 

   “He was in there for that long?”

 

   “From late December until mid July.”

 

   “My god-” This time he couldn’t hold his tears back. Covering his mouth a painful sob left his trembling lips. “Yuu-!” He cried. Almost instantly Reita wrapped his arms around him, allowing Ruki to bury his head in his chest. How could such a cruel thing happen to someone so beautiful and lovely? He suffered in freezing temperatures, probably alone and scared. Ruki could just see it. The tears streaming down Yuu’s wide horrified eyes as he screamed for help, his rosy lips slowly turning paler and paler until they were a stark blue and he lost what strength he had left only to sink into eternal darkness.

 

   Takanori couldn’t help himself. Clutching his best friend’s shirt he cried and cried, his heart shattering under his ribs. He shouldn’t have left... He shouldn’t have left Yuu. If he had stayed then Yuu wouldn’t have gone into the woods… Yuu and his Grandfather wouldn’t have died alone… They would both still be alive. Laughing, and smiling, and breathing. Loving and living. It was all his fault. He was the reason the two people he loved the most had met their demise.

 

   Ruki didn’t hear Reita’s loving words or Yutaka’s concerns. Reita’s apology to Yutaka didn’t even reach him as he was scooped up effortlessly by his best friend. Takanori didn’t dare move from his position, head buried into Reita’s chest. It was safe. This person, these arms he was enveloped in, was his last home.

 

   “I’m so sorry.” Reita whispered to their host as he cradled a sobbing and trembling Ruki.

 

   “No, really, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have told him so early in the evening. He and Yuu were inseparable for as long as I could remember...”

 

   “He’s just been through so much and I think he’s finally giving into the grief. Is it okay if we have dinner another time? I think I should take him home.”

 

   Yutaka nodded, getting the door for him. “I think that’s for the best.”

 

   Walking through the door onto the other side of the threshold, the weak bangs coming from the basement not quite reaching Reita’s ears before the door was shut behind him. It took a whole three minutes to pry his best friend off of his chest. “Hey-” He spoke softly. “Listen to me, it’s okay. I’m taking you home, okay? I need to put your seat belt on.” The gentle coaxes soothed a red eyed sniffling Ruki, allowing the strap to be stretched across his chest.

 

   “Can we go home and cuddle?” He hiccuped, making his friend smile softly.

 

   “Of course we can.” After shutting the passenger door, Akira looked up as the first flurries of snow began to descend to the earth. Pulling his jacket closer against his body he rushed into the car, turning the heater on before reaching for Ruki’s hand. “It’s okay.” He promised. “I’m here.”

 

   Yutaka’s face grew dark once the door was shut. “I can’t believe he reacted like that.” He sighed, chugging his wine. Fuck he wished it was hard alcohol. Maybe he should have broken into the sake. His “husband” shrugged in a feline way, chuckling at his lover’s crunched up expression.

 

   “You humans tend to cry over the silliest of things. Everyone and everything on this earth dies, yet for some reason your tiny little minds can’t seem to fathom the concept.”

 

   “Watch it.” He snapped. “You’re literally just an oversize rat. Don’t forget who your master is.”

 

   Shinya smirked as his fox ears he had hidden with a simple glamour (a concealing spell only elven-kin and kitsune could conjure) twitched in amusement. Yutaka didn’t even seem interested as the big bushy tail fell out of the pants the kitsune pushed off his form, followed by his shirt. “My apologies master~” Shinya purred, his eyes glowing like a gilded fireside. He gently took Yutaka’s thin face between his black clawed fingers, petting his cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You poor thing...” The demon chuckled deeply. “Always craving to be loved by everyone. Always-” His words were cut off as Yutaka snatched his wrist, holding it so tight that his fingers were imprinted on his skin.

 

   “You’re supposed to give me what I want.” He growled, shoving Shinya into the counter who in return moaned in pain.

 

   “I did and I have been. Look around you. Your house, your wealth, your bloody wine. That’s all me, sweetheart. Yet… in return you haven’t taken care of me very well now have you?”

 

   “You want me to take care of you? Huh?” He sneered, unbuckling his pants. “Bend over.” Shinya did as he was told, his ears flattening on top of his shimmering locks as his tail swayed in excitement. He whimpered, his slim body arching away as Yutaka gave a hard slap to his ass. Almost instantly his lover calmed down. “I’m sorry.” He spoke softly, gently massaging the spot with the meat of his large palm. “I’m sorry baby, master lost his temper.” He placed a soft kiss to Shinya’s shoulder as an offered apology.

 

   Shinya bowed his head, taking a second to pull himself together, biting his lip. “It’s okay.” Yutaka got like that sometimes… enough for Shinya to know he didn’t mean it. “Make it up to me?” The request came out shyly, almost embarrassingly so. This, of course, caused his master to chuckle in amusement. Shinya’s legs fell open when he felt a thick finger rub against his needy entrance, threatening to push into him.

 

   “Of course, baby.” He brushed the silver hair aside, kissing the nape of his kitsune’s neck as he withdrew his hand. His foxy beauty thrust his ass back in dismay, a strangled whine escaping his flawless throat as his Adam’s apple bobbed. Grinning to himself, Yutaka stroked his cock a few times upon taking it out only to instantly push it into Shinya’s tight heat. “Fuck-” He hissed, hearing his little beast gasp, feeling him shudder under him and clench around him as his big cock stretched him wide.

 

   “M-Master!” Shinya mewled as his tail wrapped around Yutaka’s waist. Shinya braced himself on the fine marble counter as Yutaka began to thrust unforgivably, gasping in pleasure each time their hips met. He relished in it. The greedy hands roaming his body, tracing his ribs and pinching his pert nipples. He loved the wide palm that flattened against his own leaking cock, the way Yutaka savaged his body and fucked him as if he were used goods. He loved it because it all showed Yutaka’s true nature. Human nature. He basked in the fact that they thought they were in control.

 

   It is stated in every contract binding human and fox; he who makes dealings with the children of Inari must take care of any and all of their earthly needs. If these requirements are well met met in return you shall be granted the favor of the gods and great wealth shall be brought upon you and your family. And indeed his needs were met, with every last snap of Yutaka’s hips, the most private part of himself was buried deep within the animal he had summoned so long ago, driving the lustful thing crazy each graze to his prostate. Shinya trembled more and more, hardly able to stand up as his seed sprayed all over the side of the island bar and his knot swelled painfully good against Yutaka’s fingers.

 

   Once Yutaka finished, cumming inside of Shinya, he pulled his spent cock out and handed him the nearest towel. “There.” He murmured, head hanging low as if he were ashamed of the deed. Shinya paused for a moment, his eyes taking the form of his master in. It was real. Real shame. Shinya finally realized that his suspicions were correct. Yutaka didn’t love him anymore. Now that he had given him everything he could think of, Shinya was just another reminder of what evils he has done.

 

   Now he understood what Takanori felt… This must be what heartbreak felt like. Turning away so Yutaka couldn’t see his moment of weakness, Shinya cleaned himself up. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

 

   The brunette didn’t even fight it, knowing exactly why he was banished from their bedroom. He didn’t even look up until Shinya was gone. The click of the door shutting and locking was confirmation enough. Grabbing the five hundred dollar wine Yutaka hurled it at the basement door. The pounding from downstairs finally ceased and the man slunk onto his knees with his head in his hands. “What do I do?” He whispered desperately, searching for an answer in the new found silence, hoping the gods would spare him just this once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my last chapter for 2017 and I hope you all enjoyed it! This story is very dear to me and I want to thank everyone who has left kudos and have commented on this! I will have a lot more time to write now that the holidays are over so expect more updates! See you in 2018!


	11. Just Another Day

“The trees are alive.”

 

   “I know that...”

 

   “But do you?” The voice questioned in amusement. “Do you see it? The way it glows with silver? Do you see the people who make their homes in its branches? The fairies?”

 

   When he squinted he could see tiny forms dancing across the sparkling bark. A light melody began to fill the air as they waltzed to the universe’s silent music. Reita rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times. So it was alive after all, he thought, it was alive with so much more than the physical world could offer.

 

   The owner of the voice giggled. “You’re wrong, you know. All kinds of things exist in our world. You just refuse to see it.”

 

   “But I want to see it.” Reita cried almost desperately. “Please… I want to see you.” First the fairies started to fade, then so did the tree until it was but a silver glowing ball. Reaching out, Reita tried to grasp the orb in his hand, failing to do so as something or someone caught it before the orb could be reached.

 

   “Shhh. I’m here.” He gazed down, seeing a hand holding his own. The owner gave it a gentle squeeze. Looking to his right he saw a creature much more beautiful than the fae. He saw Aoi. Drunken in black swirling hair as their surroundings lightened to a calming beige. “I am here and that,” Aoi pointed to the orb, “is not me. That is what plagues me every night. Don’t touch it or it will come after you too.”

 

   “Aoi… I’m sorry. I-” Reita fell silent as Aoi pulled him into a hug. Here he had no cuts nor bruises. He had no dirty skin and instead he felt warm and smelled of eucalyptus. He felt safe. This… This is how Aoi was supposed to be. This is what Reita realized. “Aoi.” He whispered. “Aoi how do I help? I want to help.”

 

   Aoi breathed in Reita’s scent as he buried his face in the others shoulder for comfort they both desperately sought.. “Reita… I love it when you say my name.”

 

   “Aoi.” Reita breathed again, wrapping his arms around the thin waist. “Please… Tell me…. Aoi….”

 

   “I love how warm you are.” Aoi sighed, pressing their chests together. This time the blonde could confirm his ghost… had a heartbeat. “Will you always hold me?” Aoi whispered. “Please, I’m so scared. I’ve been alone for so long and its so dark and I’m scared.” The melodic voice began to fade as did the grip Reita held on his body. His form collapsed then burst into a cluster of hundreds of fireflies that abruptly took flight. They swarmed left, then right before looping back around. It was an awe-stuck scene and Reita couldn’t even manage a gasped as he watched the lightning bugs form into the silver tree right before his eyes.

 

   “Aoi...Please tell me where to find you. Please-” His eyes burned. Was he crying? Reaching up with shaking fingers he wiped them before looking. It was a thick dark crimson substance. One by one his lethargic mind connected the dots. His eyes were bleeding. Panic rose and his heart constricted as he opened his mouth to scream out. But no sound was heard.

 

   Shooting up out of bed, Reita gasped for air, his chest shaky with anxiety and confusion. The was a heavy weight on his legs that was revealed to be Ruki upon inspection. That was right… Ruki begged to sleep in his bed again. The small man was tangled in the sheets with half his body draped over Reita’s and his head smashed uncomfortably into the pillow. For a second Reita forgot the rest of the world and the dream melted away with the color of Ruki’s naked back. The blonde leaned forward until his lips met with the skin. He had no intentions, just a moment of overwhelming love as he ghosted his lips across the freckles. He often wondered why Ruki chose to hide. Did people not love the spots on the back of a baby deer? But Ruki always revealed himself to Reita. His whole self naked physically and mentally bare.

 

   He knows he hasn’t been a good friend recently. Ruki had too many tears shed each night in his embrace and no amount of rocking or soothing ever quiet them. After a long moment and the inhalation of his friend’s scent, Reita pulled away. He lay there for a few moments with closed eyes, envisioning the tree. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It twirled and danced until he cound no longer identify if he felt sick or was hungry. Finally he realized that clutched tightly in the meat of his hand was an egg shaped grey rock. “What the fuck?” He whispered, holding it to the light that peeked through the drawn blinds. There were tiny silver and gold specks glimmering from the dull surface. _All kinds of things exist in our world._

 

* * *

 

 

 “Then he said all kinds of things exist in our world.. _Our world_.” Reita flipped the egg and watched it sizzle in the skillet. “He’s human.”

 

   “Well I didn’t think he was one of Uruha’s creepies.” Ruki snorted with an exhalation of smoke before promptly stumping the cigarette out.

 

   “Yeah.. How did you sleep by the way?”

 

   “I slept fucking terrible."

 

   Reita peeked over his shoulder, lips pressing firmly as he watched Ruki sip from his mug, “You’re on your fourth coffee.” He observed.

 

   “What can I say,” Ruki sat the cup down in order to secure his lighter into his pants pocket for safe keeping. “I desperately need to take a shit.” To make his point he took a long swig. “It would be better with some vodka.”

 

   “Ru-” He sighed, setting the plate of finely cooked eggs in front of his best friend. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked. Ruki just shrugged as he forked at his food, suddenly freezing in alarm when he heard a loud bang come from the front door.

 

   “D-Did you hear that?”

 

   “Hear what?” They both fell silent and Reita tilt his head in concentration. There was another loud bang, followed by noises indicating the door opening and closing. Raising in agitation, Reita ran to the drawer to retrieve a knife. The room was silent omit Ruki’s labored breathing. The brunette was rooted in his seat his body trembling with anticipation.

 

   “Hey guys!” Chirped a friendly neighborhood Uruha who had apparently broken through their front door swinging a bag of groceries like there was nothing wrong with that whole scenario.

 

   “What the fuck Uruha?” Ruki spat, falling against the table weakly. His heart really couldn't take anything anymore, or so it felt.

 

   “Sorry! I wanted to come make breakfast for you guys before you woke up but I kind of-” He made a bottle motion with his hand.

 

   “I know.” The brunette stood, coffee clutched tightly in his chubby fingers. “You reek. I can smell it from here.”

 

   Uruha smiled shyly as his cheeks burned from embarrassment. “Sorry, my water got turned off.”

 

   “How come?” Reita asked while he lowered the knife slipping it back into the drawer. Uruha was weird, sure, but he wasn’t a danger. He watched as the older man shrugged.

 

   “I’m not entirely sure...”

 

   “Did you pay your bill?”

 

   “Oh, no! I never do that!” He strolled into the kitchen, putting the bag on the counter. “I don’t make any money.”

 

   Ruki stared up at him with large eyes, slowly nodding his head though he really couldn’t fully understand what Uruha was saying. “Why do you think you can just bust into our house? Huh?”

 

   “Oh-” Uruha visibly recoiled his smile faltering a bit. “Well… We’re friends now so I wanted to make you breakfast.”

 

   “We already had breakfast.” Ruki crossed his arms. To his slight annoyance Uruha didn’t seem to care one bit. He was clearly in his own little world and enjoyed every second of it. At least he wasn’t being a lonely drunk, this at least relieved Ruki greatly.

 

   “That’s okay! We’ll have breakfast again for lunch!” He declared, unpacking the contents of the bag. Inside were two simple ingredients: noodles and marinara sauce. Both friends watched in silence, really not sure what to think or how to act.

 

   “Uruha...” Reita spoke softly. “That isn’t breakfast.”

 

   “It’s breakfast.” He insisted.

 

   Ruki shook his head. “No, that’s spaghetti.”

 

   Uruha seemed to consider this for a moment. “Alright… well you guys can eat spaghetti for lunch and I’ll eat breakfast for lunch.”

 

   There was no way Ruki could hold his laughter in at that point, Uruha’s all-in-seriousness attitude cracking him up. He stood and gave the tall man a pat on the back. “Okay, let me go start the shower for you. Reita has some clothes you can wear then when you get out we’ll cook lunch.” He grasped the bulk of Uruha’s arm and pulled him up the stairs.

 

   “Alright, but let me cook it.” Their guest insisted. “You’re supposed to relax.” His voice became softer and he gazed down at Ruki once they stopped in front of the bathroom door. Ruki’s breath left his lungs as Uruha brushed the hair from his face, causing him to turn and hide shyly.

 

   “I will.” He promised, opening the door. “Soap is on the left, help yourself to the hair products. You just turn the faucet on, the further back you go the hotter it gets, then pull the little knob up and the shower will come on.” Uruha nodded, shutting the door behind him. Once Ruki heard the sound of water he made his way back into the kitchen. “What are we going to do with this guy?” A small smile was on his lips.

 

   “If he doesn’t have any money how did he buy this stuff?” It was clear Reita had some concerns but really he didn’t think anything of it. “I’ll go get his clothes.”

 

   “Thanks for humoring me.” Ruki picked up the ingredients left on the table and examined them. While Reita was gone there was a knock on the door. The small man’s anxiety swelled up inside of him like a whale ready to emerge for air. He was alone and the house stood still, only the sound of rushing water could be heard. Another Knock. It took Ruki a large amount of will in order to open the door. “Yutaka?”

 

   In the doorway a tall and handsome officer flashed a big smile.“Hey Taka,” he greeted with a small wave, “I was hoping you’d answer.”

 

   Ruki backed up, motioning for Yutaka to enter, which he did with a grateful nod. “I wanted to come by and apologize for last night. I’m sorry that-”

 

   “No, I’m sorry Yuta.” Ruki cut him off quickly. He hugged himself, feeling rather ashamed and exposed. “It’s just because my grandfather died.. I-...there’s this book I have on grief and it says that sometimes other deaths really impact you during the grieving process and it’s just a part of letting go. I’m sorry if I ruined our dinner.”

 

   “No! Not at all.” Yutaka bent down and pulled Ruki into a comforting hug. It felt so good to have his childhood friend in his arms again. It felt so natural. Like this was a piece Yutaka didn’t even know was missing until he found it.“Listen, if you need anything I’m always here for you. I just want you to be happy and safe.” He pulled away slightly, searching Ruki’s inky eyes. “I know things seem overwhelming right now but I still love you and consider you family. So please don’t shut me out and don’t be embarrassed for crying.”

 

   Ruki quickly wiped away any stray tears that formed from Yutaka’s words, giving him a watery laugh, “I won’t.” He promised him. “Thank you.”

 

   “I was going to bring some alcohol but- well-” Yutaka laughed, handing the small man a nicely decorated cake. “I baked it myself.”

 

   “You did?” He gasped with elation.”Yuta!”

 

   “What?” The officer smiled shyly. “Anyway I can’t stay long I just wanted to say hello…” Half way out the door, Yutaka turned around, his face morphing with darker features. “And Taka… If you happen to see anything outside then call me. Don’t go outside in the dark or in the early hours of the morning. We’ve been having… disturbing reports.”

 

   Ruki shifted, motioning for Yutaka to continue.

 

   “Well… It’s silly but... last night we had over a dozen…. Maybe seventeen or so calls saying there was an unidentified flying object in the area.”

 

   “Oh shit!” He covered his mouth, swallowing thickly.

 

   “Now I’m not saying it’s aliens.” Yutaka piped up. “However we have yet to find the source. So if you see anything suspicious call me. Use my cellphone if I’m off work No matter the hour I’ll pick up.”

 

   “Thanks.” He pulled his coat tighter around his body. “Yuta, one more thing.” Ruki looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around. “Uruha said his water was turned off and I want to-”

 

   “I’ll see what I can do about it.”

 

   “I can pay for it.”

 

   “No.” Yutaka smiled. “I’ll pay for it. I want to.” He promised before Ruki could argue with him. “I know you haven’t seen many good sides to me since you’ve gotten here, and I don’t hate the guy… I know he’s having issues and it seems like he’s not getting into as much trouble with you two here so I’ll give him this favor. Just don’t feel like you have to deal with him because you feel sorry for him. Fake friends are heartbreaking. Remember that.”

 

   Ruki was thrown off by Yutaka’s dry choice of words which shut him down for a few moments as he considered them carefully. “I won’t. Bye Yuta, thanks for the cake.” Yutaka waved and left without another word.

 

   “What was that about?” Reita snored, halfway down the stairs. He skipped a few, landing on the last step, Uruha not far behind.

 

   “Oh, it was just Yuta. He was warning me about some UFO in the area. He also brought cake.”

 

   “Did you say UFO?” Uruha gasped, flying to the small man’s side. “What are the specifics?”

 

   “Is it wrong I’m more excited about the cake?” Reita snorted in amusement, the group migrating back into the kitchen. “I hope it’s chocolate.”

 

   They all talked among themselves; Uruha speaking passionately about project blue book, Reita wondering when he can eat the cake, and Ruki slapping his best friend’s hand away while scolding him to wait after lunch. Second breakfast was made, then consumed and Uruha finally admitted that spaghetti is the only meal he really knows how to cook. All three men were laughing in this moment, blissfully unaware of the dark figure watching them through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for not giving up on this story! I apologize for not updating as fast as I'd like I'm just very busy with life and what not. I really wanted this chapter to highlight their personalities and characteristics so I hope you could see in them what I do. I also wanted to give it a bit of a Twilight Zone feel! Please remember that comments and sharing my story is some real love! ♡♡♡♡♡ Please Kudos if you enjoy WAL, it helps me know I'm doing something right!


	12. Always Watching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! I'm back baby! Sorry it's taken me so long to update I just moved to Japan and it's been taking me awhile to figure everything out and settle in. On the bright side I'm planning to take a trip to the Kanagawa countryside to find a location similar to the one in this story as a source of inspiration. If you wish to view my pictures from my meager adventures please follow my instagram @ ashisinasia! Anyways without further ado~~~

“Hey.”

 

Reita looked up in surprise from the railing he leaned on as Uruha shut the sliding door behind him. The evening was crisp, almost every evening was now with the end of October fast approaching. He took one final huff of his cigarette before handing it to Uruha. “These are bad for you.”

 

“You’re telling me?” Uruha chuckled as he joined him, accepting the cigarette without a moments hesitation. “I’m the master of bad habits, what’s one more?”

 

“They can kill you, I guess.” Reita chuckled as he hid his cold fingers in the fuzzy lined pockets of the vintage bomber jacket.

 

Uruha leaned over the porch railing, examining the fiery forest before them. “Good. Maybe I can finally get some rest.” He murmured between his lips. “I love this time of year. It’s like living on a different planet.”

 

The blonde nodded, trapped in his own thoughts. “I always wondered what it is about this time of year that brings ghost and stuff. The veil is thin or something... or so I read.”

 

“Read where?” He laughed. “I mean… when you think about it it makes sense, right? This is the time of year we all want to go out and explore nature, but nature holds the air of certain death so we end up fixating on that. We like to be scared during the autumn because we want to be close to nature.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Reita turned and laughed in confusion as he studied his eccentric neigbor.

 

“We want to die just to become reborn. We want to feel what the leaves and flowers feel.” With a shrug he flicked the cigarette of its ashes not once but twice. “We want to be part of the cycle, it helps us feel fresh. You always feel good after the snow melts, am I wrong?”

 

“I guess so...”

 

“Being scared is a rush. The air is a rush. The promise of bareness for months is a rush. But it helps us stay grounded… I don’t know, humans are odd animals. The autumn veil doesn’t naturally become thin at this time. It becomes thin because we invite spirits, ghosts, demons, everything you can imagine. We manifest it. We bring it here to honor it. However I think Americans bring it in to kill themselves.” Reita couldn’t help but to laugh, finding humor in Uruha’s last comment. “It’s not funny.” Uruha sighed. “They do it for fun and they have no idea what consequences their actions have.”

 

“I’ve seen a ghost.” Reita admitted, motioning to the woods. “Out there, I met him and I spoke to him.”

 

“The boy who cries? I know.” The taller man nodded. He paused for a few moments to gather his thoughts on the subject.

 

“You know him?”

 

“I haven’t met him. He won’t let me, but he cries every night. I hear him. Drown in his sorrows. He’s in so much pain.”

 

“Aoi.”

 

“What?”

 

“His name is Aoi.” Reita breathed. “At first I thought he was homeless… but… I asked Yutaka about him and he completely shrugged me off.”

 

Uruha nodded, his face falling in concentration. “I suppose in a way he is homeless. Out there somewhere is his empty husk.” Reita watched silently, chills crawling down his spine at such dark words.

 

“Uruha… what are you suggesting?”

 

“He’s not a ghost, but his spirit is trapped.”

 

“He’s not dead?”

 

“No, I don’t think so. I tried to whisk his soul to the light and he left for a few days but then came back. After that he won’t let me near him, but… if a soul goes into the light it wont ever return unless to be reincarnated into another life.”

 

“Okay… I don’t really understand this subject but-” He shifted uncomfortably as he let his brain process this new information bestowed upon him. “Is Aoi a demon of sorts?”

 

“Oh, no!” Uruha laughed as if Reita was cracking him up with some silly joke. “No he’s human. Someone bound his soul and that’s why he’s still in limbo. But he trusts you, right? Maybe you can help him.”

 

Help him? Help a ghost that wasn’t a ghost but also was a ghost? “No.” Reita replied without hesitation. “No, no. I won’t want to get haunted. I mean Ruki is… He’s not doing too well.”

 

Uruha nodded, his voice falling quiet. “I know. He told me. Ruki is very unique. He vibrates on a higher frequency than the rest of us. His light is so bright entities are attracted to him. I’m positive that in a past life he used to work with spirits, helping them cross over. And yet… I can’t see his future at all.”

 

“Maybe it’s because you have a crush on him.” Reita coyly looked over, his lips turning up into a smug smirk as Uruha started choking on his air.

 

“How did-?” He sputtered. “Is… Is it that obvious?”

 

Now it was Reita’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, pretty much. No man decides to randomly cook spaghetti unless there are romantic feelings involved.”

 

Uruha’s shoulders slumped forward and he groaned in embarrassment. His face was the color of the autumn leaves, obscured and hidden by his hair as his head tilt down and away from Reita’s prying eyes. “I thought I was the only one who did that.”

 

“Sorry man.” Reita pat his shoulder. “Don’t feel bad but it’s a universal thing. I was just surprised you did it while I was here. And without a shower.”

 

“I haven’t gone on a date in years.” The mystic confessed with a small whine. “I wouldn’t know how to do it and I already know you two don’t have romantic feelings for each other. You know, since you end up dating and eventually marrying a completely different guy.”

 

“What guy?” He asked slowly, not sure if he even wanted to know the answer.

 

“Well… He’s cute. He’s around your height with short black hair. He smiled a lot and his eyes are always warm.”

 

“Huh… It doesn’t sound like it’s someone I’ve met before.”

 

“You haven't.” Uruha added. “Not yet at least. Whenever you two finally meet it’ll be up to you. But I’m positive you two will be together by the new year.”

 

“Uruha,” Reita snorted in amusement, “that’s in three months.”

 

“You better get busy then.” Making sure the cigarette was properly extinguished, Uruha made his way back inside with Reita trailing not far behind.

 

“Really funny.” He blonde snorted as he shut the door, pulling his coat off. Nevertheless his heartbeat heavily in his chest. He loved Ruki, but Ruki was like a brother to him. He was his best friend, his soul amigo if you will. The fire in the hearth brought a rush of warm air to their cool faces as they entered the living room where Ruki sat idling reading.

 

It was peaceful. Cozy and warm. Music played from the bluet-ooth speaker in the kitchen creating a comforting atmosphere. It was the perfect time to grab a cup of tea and curl up in a blanket. To Reita it almost felt as if it were the beginning of Christmas even though it was still October. He left the room to grab a beer.

 

Uruha sat at Ruki’s feet, body stiffening as he noticed something outside the window. There it was again. Watching. Always watching. Looking over the pages with his glasses slipping down his nose, it didn’t take Ruki long to notice Uruha, then to notice what captured his gaze. Ruki let out a strangled gasp, his lungs struggling to fill with air as his body jolted in surprise. Staring right back at them with two gleaming smoldering eyes was the perfect shadow of a man. Ruki’s flight or fight instinct kicked in and his small body rose to make a run for it. Before he could even take two steps Uruha stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

 

“Don’t be afraid. Tell it to go away.” He breathed into Ruki’s ear, causing the man to shiver. “He won’t hurt you, he’s just curious.”

 

Ruki didn’t respond, his chest bubbling and heaving with fear. This time he could completely see the creature. It wasn’t as black as the one in Uruha’s home as he had seen previously, but it was an unnatural color for sure. Tall, about six foot. It’s eyes flickered like flames and that made Ruki’s skin crawl even more. “Uru-” He reached for Uruha’s hand, his own fingers shaking. Only did the creature phase away when it saw Reita entered the room. Ruki blinked, his mouth opening and closing as his mind struggled to catch up with what he just saw. “What was that thing? Why is it here? Did you bring it?” He began to focus on Uruha, his mind accusing him of attracting such evil things, though his heart knew it wasn’t true.

 

The room fell into a thick blanket of silent shock at how scared Ruki ounded. More so to Reita than Uruha who stared back at the small man expectantly. “What’s going on?” Reita finally asked, taking a seat after handing Uruha a fresh beer. “Bring what?”

 

“It’s been watching you for some time.” Uruha didn’t pull his gaze away from Ruki’s, studying his features to grasp his reaction. He looked so frightened it made Uruha’s heart churn. Maybe a part of it was his fault.

 

“And you didn’t say anything?” Ruki croaked hoarsely, looking at Reita with disbelief who in return just shrugged up his face. It was clear that only he and Uruha had seen the creature.

 

“Listen… Shadow people aren't dangerous. They’re yurei, they can’t produce light anymore because they’ve been wandering this earth for far too long after their death. They aren’t evil.” Uruha reassured him the best he could, though he was not completely earnest. He had to think of something, anything to calm Ruki’s anxieties. Reita couldn’t help him, only he could. The two exchanged glanced and Reita instantly knew, as did he.

 

“Promise?” Ruki reached over and clutched the fabric of Uruha’s pants for comfort.

 

“What happened?” Reita repeated slowly. He felt completely lost, yet terrified at the same time. Even his lungs struggled to breathe in the thick atmosphere building up. The only other time he had seen Ruki this scared was when he came out of that forest and lost hours of time. “Was it a ghost?”

 

“Yes.” Uruha nodded.

 

“No.” Ruki fussed fists clenched tightly as he pulled away “It looked like a demon!”

 

“Demons don’t look like that.”

 

“I don’t believe you.” Ruki threw his hands up in a fit of frustration as he walked into the kitchen. Rummaging through the cabinet for a shot glass he set it on the counter harder than he meant to, pouring straight vodka into it. This couldn’t be happening to him. Not again.

 

Ruki’s mind swam and his hands shook as he downed his vodka. He felt like the world was spinning. The thin thread that bound him to his sanity was beginning to snap apart. Fuck, he couldn’t breathe. Ruki pored and drank another shot. What was that noise? Was that his breathing? Was he breathing heavily? Was he breathing at all? He needed more. More alcohol in his system. There was no way he could deal with this. It was too hellish. Too scary. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what was happening to him. Why him? Why not someone else? Why now? When he had just lost his grandfather, when his friend was going missing some nights and sleep walking during others. When his heart hurt so bad and he was so confused about where he was in life, where he belonged and if there was anyone out there for him.

 

“Hey.” Ruki’s head snapped up at the soft words. His vision was spinning so it took him a few seconds to register it was Uruha who brought him into his chest. His arms were strongly securing Ruki into his warm chest and it felt so inviting that Ruki couldn’t help but to sink into Uruha’s body. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” He listened to Uruha’s velvety voice, allowing it to beckon him into comfort. “Take a deep breath.” He didn’t want to breathe. He wanted to sleep, to drift off into the sea. Despite what his body wanted the cogs in Ruki’s mind began to creek and his chest burned with effort as he sucked in a much needed shaky breath.

 

Reita watched silently as Uruha caressed Ruki’s messy hair. He felt a little jealous as his best friend pressed into this new strange man, but as Uruha had stated before there was no romantic feelings between them. He was always the one to comfort Ruki, to ground him and help him when he needed it the most. And yet here Uruha was with Ruki in his arms. Uruha caressed Ruki’s hair for a moment before placing a small kiss on the top of his head.

 

That was the last straw in Reita’s book. Turning on his heel he left the kitchen and took the stairs up to his bedroom. Shutting the door behind him he plopped onto the messy bed. “Aoi.” He breathed into the empty room. “Are you there?” What was he if he wasn’t a ghost? And if he wasn’t a ghost would he even hear his calls? Probably not. “I wish I could see you again.” Why did his heart hurt? It was difficult to digest. Of course both Ruki and Reita have dated over the years but would Uruha be the one to finally steal Ruki away? If Ruki left him… well…. He would have nothing left.

 

His soul desperately reached outside of his body, combing for the only other person he knew was feeling a similar way right now. “Please. Please come to me. I don’t want to be by myself.” Reita rolled up into a ball as salty tears stung at his eyes. For the first time in a long time… Reita felt alone.

 

Downstairs, away from all prying eyes, Ruki lifted his head and wiped the tears off of his cheeks. Studying Uruha’s face he cupped his chin between trembling fingers. Uruha really was a handsome man. Raising himself onto his tiptoes Ruki began to close the distance between then until their plush lips finally met. In a messy kiss. Uruha made a soft noise of both relief and surprise as he held Ruki’s thin body against his own. Waves of happiness crashed through them as Ruki breathed a sigh of relief against Uruha’s lips.

 

“Stay with me.” He breathed. “Sleep with me tonight.”

 

“Sleep sleep?” Uruha’s eyes flickered open as a nervous laugh escaped him. “Or regular sleep?.”

 

Ruki grinned mischievously. All he wanted was to take his mind off of everything and Uruha, sweet handsome yet weird Uruha, was the perfect person. “Why not both.” Coyly lacing their fingers together Ruki pulled him up the stairs, smashing their lips together again before Uruha could even stumble through the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! If you want to support my writing please check out my social media! Twitter: aoi_sensei | Instagram: aoi__sensei


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